Bala is asking the court to stop Mark and his allies from acting as the party’s national officers. He insists he never resigned as national vice-chairman and should have automatically stepped in as acting chairman after the exit of Ralph Nwosu.

In the suit, Bala is also seeking an order directing Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise him as the party’s acting national chairman.

The case, filed in September 2025, also names former Rauf Aregbesola, INEC, and Nwosu as defendants.

An earlier appeal by Mark challenging the trial court’s jurisdiction was dismissed in March by the Court of Appeal, which described it as lacking merit and ordered parties to maintain the status quo pending the case.

Following that ruling, INEC announced on April 1 that it would not recognise either the Mark or Bala faction until the matter is resolved.

Reacting to INEC’s position, Mark’s camp filed a fresh motion seeking restoration of their names as members of the party’s National Working Committee and asked for an accelerated hearing.

Mark has also raised a preliminary objection, arguing that Bala lacks the legal standing to sue because he had allegedly resigned from his role. “This honourable court lacks jurisdiction to entertain this suit,” Mark said, describing the case as an abuse of court process.

Aregbesola also urged the court to dismiss the suit, saying Bala stepped down during the party’s restructuring process and is no longer part of the National Executive Committee. He is asking for ₦50 million in costs.

Nwosu, for his part, argued that Bala rushed to court without first using the party’s internal dispute resolution channels.