The Supreme Court of Nigeria will on Thursday, April 30, deliver judgments in two key political appeals involving leadership crises in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Mohammed Garba, had earlier heard arguments in both cases on April 22 before reserving judgment.
According to the court’s cause list, the ADC appeal, marked SC/CV/180/2026, is slated for 2 p.m., while the time for the PDP matter was not specified.
The ADC case arose from a leadership tussle between former Senate President David Mark and a rival faction led by Nafiu Bala Gombe. Mark is challenging a March 12 ruling of the Court of Appeal, which ordered all parties to maintain the status quo.
He argued that the appellate court exceeded its jurisdiction, insisting that the dispute is strictly an internal party affair.
However, the respondents — including the ADC, its National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu — urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal, maintaining that the lower court acted within the law.
Meanwhile, lawyers to the ADC had, on April 28, written to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, seeking an expedited ruling.
In the letter, S. E. Aruwa (SAN) & Co. warned that any delay in delivering judgment could jeopardise the party’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The legal team also raised concerns over actions by INEC, which they said relied on a lower court ruling to withdraw recognition of the party’s leadership, leaving the ADC without an acknowledged leadership structure despite remaining a registered political party.
They argued that the outcome of the appeal is critical to the party’s compliance with electoral requirements, warning that further delay could risk its exclusion from the polls and disenfranchise its supporters.
