THE Supreme Court has fixed Thursday, April 30, for judgment in the leadership dispute rocking the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC)
The apex court had earlier reserved judgment in the matter after parties adopted their final written addresses.
However, on Tuesday, April 28, the David Mark faction of the opposition party petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), arguing that time was not on its side and urged for expedited ruling.
On Wednesday, the court announced that the judgment would be delivered by 2 p.m. on Thursday.
A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Mohammed Garba, had fixed the matter for judgment after hearing arguments from all parties involved in the dispute.
The case, which has generated tension within the party, centres on the leadership tussle over the control and direction of the ADC ahead of future political activities.
In a letter addressed to the CJN through its counsel, S.E. Aruwa (SAN) & Co., the Mark-led faction warned that further delay in the judgment could jeopardise the party’s constitutional right to participate in the 2027 elections.
According to the letter, the unresolved appeal threatened to leave the party without recognised leadership, especially as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), listed as the fourth respondent, had allegedly begun acting on the lower court judgment by moving to withdraw recognition of the ADC leadership.
The counsel argued that the development stemmed from Appeal No. CA/ABJ/145/2026, which sought to de-recognise the party’s leadership, creating what it described as a leadership vacuum despite ADC remaining a registered political party.
The party further noted that with INEC’s revised timetable for the 2027 general elections already released, ADC risked being shut out of the electoral process if the Supreme Court failed to deliver judgment promptly.
The ICIR reports that the leadership crisis in ADC began in 2025 following the influx of major opposition figures into the party as part of efforts to build a coalition platform ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Among those who joined the party were former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, and David Mark.
The politicians, many of whom defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), adopted the ADC as a platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the next general election.
The crisis deepened after the resignation of the party’s former executives led by Ralph Nwosu and the emergence of a new National Working Committee headed by Mark on July 29, 2025.
This triggered a legal challenge by Nafiu Bala, a former vice-national chairman of the party, who approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking recognition as the legitimate national chairman under the party’s constitution.
While the Federal High Court initially ordered parties to maintain the status quo, the Court of Appeal later upheld the order and directed all parties, including INEC, to maintain existing arrangements pending further hearing.
Following the ruling, both factions wrote to INEC on March 16, each seeking recognition.
INEC later removed Mark’s name as national chairman and Aregbesola as national secretary from its website on April 1, stating that it would not recognise any faction until the legal dispute was resolved.
The development triggered protests in Abuja, with party members accusing the electoral commission of bias and warning that the unresolved crisis threatened the party’s internal democracy.
The Mark-led faction subsequently approached the Supreme Court to challenge the Court of Appeal ruling, with the apex court reserving judgment on April 22 before fixing Thursday for final determination.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M