The Supreme Court has said that the date of judgment would be communicated to the parties in the appeal filed on the crisis rocking the coalition adopted party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
This decision follows a hearing conducted by a five-member panel, led by Justice Mohammed Garba, which involved representatives from all parties concerned.
The case, identified as SC/CV/180/2026, was brought before the court by Senator David Mark, who claims the position of factional National Chairman of the ADC.
Mark’s appeal arises from a ruling by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which chose to derecognize his leadership following a lawsuit initiated by Nafiu Bala Gombe, the former Deputy National Chairman. Gombe asserts his right to the national chairmanship of the party.
Gombe’s legal action not only seeks to prevent Mark, Rauf Aregbesola (the National Secretary), and other current leaders from acting in their official capacities but also aims to compel INEC to cease its recognition of their leadership.
The court’s forthcoming judgment is anticipated to have significant implications for the ADC’s governance and structure.
INEC removed Mark and Aregbesola’s names from its portal as National Chairman and Secretary of the ADC, citing the Appeal Court’s “status quo” order and related correspondence.
INEC also stated that it would not recognise any of the factions involved in the leadership tussle until the matter is resolved in court.
Mark sought, among other reliefs, an order restraining INEC from recognizing anyone other than him and the current national officers, pending determination of the appeal.
He also requested orders barring INEC from altering the party’s leadership structure as currently constituted and staying proceedings in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025 before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court, Abuja, until the appeal is heard.
While adopting their brief of argument, Mark’s legal team, led by Jubril Okutepa (SAN), insisted the dispute is a non-justiciable internal party matter, as previously held by the Supreme Court.
Nigerians react as Supreme Court reserves ruling
Below are some of their comments:
Ola Salami explained the impact of the decision on the party: “This means that unless the SC judgment is delivered before the deadline set by INEC for the submission of party candidates, and the judgment favours one of the sides of the dispute, INEC won’t allow any of the sides to submit candidates for the January 2027 general election. Wàhálà.”
Umar Aliman expressed confidence in the Supreme Court: “Nafi’u Bala has failed to hold a convention yesterday. Something that APC and the President spend billions just to bring confusion, yet they’ve failed, so the Apex court will preside over the judgment. I believe that the Supreme Court is not like a higher court. We’re law-abiding.”
Dan Arewa expressed worries over the delay in the judgment: “The Supreme Court has reserved judgment in David Mark’s appeal over the ADC leadership dispute, with the date to be communicated later. Meanwhile, delays keep dragging on despite INEC’s clear timelines; this uncertainty isn’t good for the process or public confidence.”
Minugirl maintained that the atmosphere is tense and that judgment should be delivered on time: “Hmmm, this is really a tense moment. When a matter gets this far and judgment is reserved, it shows how deep and sensitive the dispute is. At the end of the day, what people want is clarity and fairness, because prolonged uncertainty only increases frustration and division.”
