The Supreme Court on Wednesday officially reserved its judgment regarding the intense leadership struggle currently destabilizing the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
A five-member panel of the apex court, presided over by Justice Mohammed Garba, reached this decision after hearing final arguments from all legal teams involved in the dispute.
The case, marked SC/CV/180/2026, centers on a high-stakes appeal filed by Senator David Mark, who currently heads a faction of the party backed by several prominent opposition figures.
At the heart of the appeal is Senator Mark’s request to overturn a March 12 Court of Appeal judgment that he claims was a miscarriage of justice.
Read Also: Outrage As Gbajabiamila Asks Rep Abejide To ‘Stay In ADC And Scatter Them’ [VIDEO]
Mark argued that the appellate court overstepped its legal boundaries by ordering a “maintenance of the status quo ante bellum” in a lawsuit initiated by an aggrieved group led by Nafiu-Bala Gombe.
In his argument, Mark’s legal team, led by Mr. Jubril Okutepa, SAN, insisted that the conflict is strictly a “political party’s domestic affairs, in which courts lack jurisdiction to intervene.”
The legal battle includes several high-profile respondents, such as the ADC’s National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the party’s former national chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu.
Senator Mark is seeking specific reliefs from the Supreme Court, including an order to stop INEC from recognizing any other leadership structure and a stay of proceedings on a related suit currently before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Read Also: Massive Defections Hit House Of Reps As Lawmakers Quit LP, PDP, APC
While most respondents urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal for lack of merit, INEC chose to remain neutral, filing no processes to support or counter the case.
However, the electoral commission has already taken significant administrative action; on April 1, it deleted both Mark and Aregbesola from its official portal, citing the earlier Court of Appeal ruling.
INEC maintains it will “not recognise any of the warring factions until the legal dispute is determined” to ensure it remains in compliance with the order to maintain the status quo.
The tension surrounding the case has also caused a freeze in the lower courts. Justice Emeka Nwite recently adjourned the substantive case filed by the Gombe faction indefinitely, stating that to proceed while the Supreme Court is still deliberating would amount to “judicial rascality.”
Despite this legal deadlock and the removal of its leaders from the INEC portal, the ADC has vowed to push forward with its scheduled national convention as it awaits the final verdict from the apex court.
