S’Court Fast-Tracks David Mark’s Appeal in ADC Leadership Tussle

​ABUJA – The Supreme Court of Nigeria has fixed April 22, 2026, for the definitive hearing of an appeal arising from the protracted leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

​The appeal, marked SC/CV/180/2026, was filed by the party’s embattled National Chairman and former Senate President, Senator David Mark. Mark is seeking to overturn a March 12 judgment from the Court of Appeal which effectively paved the way for his de-recognition by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

​Accelerated Hearing Granted

​During Tuesday’s proceedings, a five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Mohammed Garba, granted an application for an accelerated hearing of the matter. Recognizing the urgency of the leadership dispute, the court truncated the usual filing times for legal processes.

​The panel directed David Mark’s counsel, Jibril Okutepa (SAN), to file and serve the appellant’s brief within a strictly shortened timeframe. Conversely, the respondents—including ADC chieftain Nafiu Bala Gombe and INEC—were ordered to file their briefs within three days of service. The court further allowed the appellant just twenty-four hours to file a reply on points of law upon receiving the respondents’ processes.

​Genesis of the Crisis

​The legal firestorm began in late 2025 when Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, filed a suit at the Federal High Court challenging the legitimacy of the leadership transition that brought David Mark and former Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola (as National Secretary), into power. Gombe alleged that their emergence violated the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.

​While Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court initially refused to grant an interim injunction against Mark on September 4, 2025, the Court of Appeal later dismissed Mark’s challenge to that proceedings. Crucially, the appellate court ordered all parties to return to the trial court and maintain the status quo ante bellum—a directive INEC interpreted as a mandate to remove Mark and Aregbesola from its official portal on April 1, 2026.

​High Stakes for 2027

ADVERTISEMENT

​The dispute has effectively split the ADC into rival factions, with both sides laying claim to the party’s machinery. Senator Mark’s legal team is currently praying the Supreme Court for a stay of execution on the appellate court’s ruling, arguing that the current leadership vacuum threatens the party’s stability ahead of the 2027 general elections.

​Mark is also seeking an order to compel INEC to restore his name to the commission’s portal pending the final determination of the substantive legal issues.

​As the apex court prepares to hear the arguments on April 22, the political future of the ADC remains in a state of flux, with the judiciary now the final arbiter of who holds the reigns of the “third-force” party.