The leadership tussle within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has taken a new development as the faction led by David Mark formally petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria, seeking urgent delivery of the Supreme Court judgment on the party’s internal dispute.
The appeal, currently before the apex court, stems from a protracted leadership crisis that has divided the party into factions, with Mark challenging earlier court decisions that upheld the status quo.
Last Tuesday, the Supreme Court reserved judgment in the appeal filed by the former Senate President, who is contesting the March 12 ruling of the Court of Appeal. That judgment had directed all parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum in a suit initiated by aggrieved members of the party.
Mark, in the appeal marked SC/CV/180/2026, argued that the appellate court overstepped its jurisdiction by interfering in what he described as the internal affairs of a political party.
The dispute traces back to a Federal High Court case filed by Nafiu Bala, a factional national chairman, who challenged the takeover of the ADC by the Mark-led faction. The Court of Appeal had earlier dismissed Mark’s appeal against that ruling.
In a letter dated April 28, 2026, and signed by the party’s counsel, Shaibu Enejoh Aruwa, the Mark-led faction warned that any delay in delivering judgment could have far-reaching consequences for the party’s political future.
The faction stressed that failure to receive a verdict within three days could jeopardize the party’s participation in the 2027 general elections, particularly in light of recent developments involving the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“My Lord, this appeal was graciously heard expeditiously on the 22nd April, 2026 and judgment was thereafter reserved to a date to be communicated by the court,” the letter reads.
“However, My Lord, we are most respectfully constrained to request for my Lord’s kind intervention and directive in ensuring that the judgment is rendered timeously having regard that INEC the 4th Respondent in the said Appeal purportedly, acting pursuant to the judgment of the lower court in
“Appeal No: CA/ABJ/145/2026 acted to remove or de-recognize the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) leaving the ADC without leadership at the moment even though the ADC remains a recognized registered political party in Nigeria.
“My Lord, we also respectfully draw Your Lordship’s attention to the INEC Timetable for the 2027 General Elections and the activities in readiness which have already commenced.
“Your Lordship’s would find attached copies of the INEC Press Release de-recognizing the leadership of ADC and the Revised INEC Timetable for the 2027 General Elections.
“My Lord, the ADC’s ability to comply with these statutory requirements to participate in the 2027 General Elections is wholly dependent on the timely delivery of the judgment in the instant Appeal.
“Without the delivery of judgment within the next three days from the date of this letter, the ADC stands the grave and irreversible risk of being excluded from participating in the 2027 General Elections.
“This would disenfranchise millions of Nigerians who have subscribed to the ideals of the ADC and deny them their constitutional right to freely associate and contest elections through a political party of their choice.
“My Lord, we are mindful of the enormous responsibilities and workload of this Honourable Court. We are equally aware that justice delayed, in this peculiar circumstance, would amount to justice denied. The entire political future of our client and the legitimate expectations of its members nationwide now hangs in the balance.”
The development underscores growing anxiety within the party as the countdown to the 2027 elections begins.
With INEC’s timetable already in motion, the outcome of the Supreme Court ruling is now seen as निर्णative to determining the ADC’s political fate.
Party stakeholders fear that without a clear leadership structure validated by the court, the ADC risks being locked out of the electoral process entirely—raising concerns about the political rights of its members and supporters nationwide.
