Sokoto ADC Leadership Tussle: Court Adjourns Suit to May 19 Ahead of Primaries

By Bashir Rabe Mani, Sokoto

A Federal High Court in Sokoto has adjourned to May 19, 2026, the hearing of a suit challenging the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Sokoto State, as parties battle for control ahead of the party’s primary elections.

The case, presided over by Justice Ahmad Gama Mahmud on Friday, centres on allegations of an unlawful takeover of the party’s leadership structure in the state.

Lead counsel to the plaintiffs, Barrister Mathew Burkaa, SAN, told the court that the suit arose from what he described as a “hijack of power” by the second and third defendants, who are allegedly parading themselves as the Chairman and Secretary of the ADC in Sokoto State.

“That is the crux of the matter before this Court,” Burkaa said.

“We are challenging the claim because our clients are the rightful Chairman and Secretary of the ADC in Sokoto State.”

The plaintiffs also filed a motion seeking an abridgement of time for the defendants to file their defence, arguing that the matter required urgent attention before the commencement of the ADC primaries scheduled for May 21, 2026.

According to Burkaa, the application was necessary to ensure the dispute is resolved before the conduct of the primaries.
“The motion is asking for an abridgement of time so that the case can be heard expeditiously and concluded before ADC primaries are held in Sokoto, so that the issue of leadership will be properly settled before the primaries are conducted,” he submitted.

Justice Mahmud granted the application, noting that time was of the essence in the matter, and subsequently adjourned the case to May 19 for hearing of the substantive suit.

Speaking after the proceedings, another counsel to the plaintiffs, Barrister Fidelis Mnyim, confirmed that the court had ordered the defendants to file their responses within the shortened timeframe.
According to him, “the court expects the defendants to file their defences before the adjourned date, and if there are replies, they will also be filed accordingly.”