ADC Crisis: Supreme Court reserves judgment in leadership dispute

The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved judgment in the leadership crisis involving the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

A five-member panel of the apex court, headed by Justice Mohammed Garba, reserved the matter for judgment after hearing from all parties.

The appeal, marked SC/CV/180/2026, was filed by Senator David Mark.

The appellant, who leads a faction backed by frontline opposition figures, seeks to set aside a March 12 Court of Appeal judgment, which he said was against the interest of justice.

He argued that the appellate court exceeded its jurisdiction by ordering maintenance of the status quo ante bellum in a suit filed by aggrieved party members led by Nafiu-Bala Gombe.

Mark contended that the dispute involves a political party’s domestic affairs, in which courts lack jurisdiction to intervene.

Besides Gombe, other respondents in the appeal include the ADC, the National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the immediate past national chairman of the party, Chief Ralph Nwosu.

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 Mr. Jubril Okutepa, SAN, insisted the dispute is a non-justiciable internal party matter, as previously held by the Supreme Court.

Although INEC did not file any process to either support or counter the appeal, however, all the other respondents urged the apex court to dismiss it for want of merit.

They maintained that the trial court was properly seized of facts of the case that is still pending before it.

INEC had removed Mark and Aregbesola from its portal and website as ADC National Chairman and Secretary, respectively, on April 1, citing the Court of Appeal’s judgment.

The electoral body said it would, in line with the order for maintenance of the status quo ante bellum, not recognise any of the warring factions until the legal dispute is determined.

However, despite INEC’s action—which the Mark-led faction has asked the Supreme Court to nullify—the ADC vowed to proceed with its scheduled national convention.

Justice Nwite of the Federal High Court had on April 14, adjourned sine die (indefinitely), hearing of the substantive case that Gombe filed to sack the Senator Mark-led leadership of the ADC.

Justice Nwite said he could not proceed with the matter, in view of the related issue before the Supreme Court.

He ruled that proceeding would amount to “judicial rascality” while the related appeal pends before the Supreme Court.