Supreme Court of Nigeria Issues Fresh Ruling in ADC Leadership Crisis

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

Naija News reports that 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 a factional National Chairman of the party, Senator David Mark.

Naija News reports that Mark approached the Supreme Court following the decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to derecognise his leadership of the ADC based on an Appeal Court suit by Nafiu Bala Gombe (former Deputy National Chairman), who is laying claim to the party’s national chairmanship position.

Gombe sought, among other things, to restrain Mark (as National Chairman), Rauf Aregbesola (as National Secretary), and others from parading as ADC leaders, and to stop INEC from recognizing them.

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.

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.
Appeal Challenges Court Of Appeal Ruling

The Mark-led faction approached the Supreme Court to challenge the March 12 judgment of the Court of Appeal on the ADC leadership status.

They argued that the appellate court exceeded its jurisdiction when it ordered the maintenance of the status quo based on a suit filed by aggrieved party members led by Nafiu Bala Gombe.

According to the appellants, the issue concerns the internal affairs of a political party, which they said courts should not interfere in.

Apart from Gombe, other respondents listed in the appeal include the African Democratic Congress, its National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and the party’s former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu.