ADC leadership tussle: Tension as Supreme Court sets to deliver judgment today
Obi and others at ADC protest
To also give verdict in appeals seeking to validate Ibadan PDP national convention
Emeka Agu with Agency report
Tension hit the Senator David Mark-led African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Wednesday night as the Supreme Court fixed today, Thursday, April 30, 2026 to deliver judgement in an appeal filed over the leadership tussle in the party.
The Supreme Court will also deliver judgement in three appeals seeking to validate the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo state capital, on November 15 and 16, 2025.
The Mark-led ADC appeal, marked SC/CV/180/2026, was listed for judgement on the website of the Supreme Court and indicated that the date has been communicated to parties in the suit.
According to the notice, the judgement would commence at 2 pm.
The verdict of the Supreme Court today would either dash the hope of the ADC and the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the PDP, participating in the 2027 general elections or provide fresh hope and vigour for the ADC and the PDP to wrest power from President Bola Tinubu and his All Progressive Congress (APC), come 2027.
Mark, who is leading a faction of the ADC, is challenging the March 12 ruling of the court of appeal, which ordered parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum in a suit instituted by aggrieved party members.
In the appeal, the former senate president argued that the appellate court exceeded its jurisdiction by intervening in what he described as the internal affairs of a political party.
Through his counsel, Jubril Okutepa, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mark maintained that disputes relating to party leadership are non-justiciable, urging the court to set aside the judgement.
The respondents in the suit include Nafiu Bala, the ADC factional chairman; Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); and Ralph Nwosu, former national chairman of the party.
Among the reliefs sought, Mark asked the court to restrain INEC from recognising any leadership outside his faction pending the determination of the appeal.
He also prayed the court to stop the electoral body from making changes to the party’s leadership structure and to stay proceedings in a related suit pending before the federal high court in Abuja.
While INEC did not file any process in support of or against the appeal, other respondents urged the apex court to dismiss the case.
A five-member panel of the apex court reserved judgement after hearing the appeal on April 22, 2026.
