Abuja, Nigeria: The Supreme Court of Nigeria has fixed April 22, 2026, for the hearing of an appeal arising from the leadership crisis in the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The appeal was filed by the party’s National Chairman, Senator David Mark, challenging earlier judicial decisions in the ongoing dispute over control of the party.
A five-member panel of the apex court, presided over by Justice Mohammed Garba, granted an accelerated hearing of the matter on Tuesday and fixed the date for the substantive appeal.
During proceedings, the court directed Mark’s counsel, Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), to file the appellant’s brief within the stipulated timeframe. It also ordered the respondents to file their responses within three days of service, while the appellants must file replies strictly on points of law within one day. All processes are to be exchanged and concluded before April 20.
In view of the expedited hearing, Okutepa withdrew an earlier application seeking a stay of execution of the Court of Appeal’s ruling, which had ordered parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum. The court struck out the motion following its withdrawal.
Justice Garba told counsel that the panel was prepared to determine the appeal promptly and would have proceeded immediately if all filings had been completed.
The case originated from a March 12, 2026, judgment of the Court of Appeal, which dismissed Mark’s challenge against a Federal High Court ruling delivered on September 4, 2025.
At the lower court, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, Nafiu Bala (also referred to as Nafiu-Bala Gombe in court documents), had contested the party’s leadership arrangement. He argued that he never resigned his position and was entitled to assume leadership in line with the party’s constitution following the exit of the party’s founder and former National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu.
Bala subsequently declared himself National Chairman and approached the court, seeking to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the Mark-led executive. He also prayed the court to compel INEC to recognise him as Acting National Chairman and to halt all party activities pending the determination of the suit.
In an ex parte order, the trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, directed the respondents, including INEC, to show cause why the reliefs sought should not be granted.
Dissatisfied, Mark challenged the jurisdiction of the trial court on appeal, but the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal for lacking merit and ordered parties to maintain the status quo.
Following that ruling, INEC on April 1 announced it would no longer recognise either faction of the ADC, declaring it would remain neutral pending final judicial determination.
The Mark-led faction then returned to the courts, seeking an order compelling INEC to restore its recognition of the party’s National Working Committee.
The Supreme Court is also expected to hear separate appeals relating to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership crisis on the same day, as internal disputes continue to generate multiple legal battles within Nigeria’s major opposition parties.
