A faction of the African Democratic Congress led by David Mark has formally appealed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria to ensure the prompt delivery of a Supreme Court judgment in an ongoing leadership dispute within the party.
The appeal follows the decision of the Supreme Court last week to reserve judgment in a case filed by Mark, a former Senate President, challenging the outcome of earlier court rulings on the party’s internal crisis.
In the appeal marked SC/CV/180/2026, Mark argued that the Court of Appeal overstepped its jurisdiction by вмешing in what he described as the internal affairs of a political party.
The case originated from a March 12 ruling of the Court of Appeal, which dismissed Mark’s challenge against a September 4, 2025 decision of the Federal High Court. The initial suit was instituted by Nafiu Bala, who claims to be the party’s national chairman and is contesting the takeover of the ADC by the Mark-led faction.
In a letter dated April 28, 2026 and signed by the party’s counsel, Shaibu Enejoh Aruwa, the Mark-led faction warned that any delay in delivering the judgment could jeopardize the party’s participation in the 2027 general elections.
The letter stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission had already acted on the lower court’s judgment to withdraw recognition of the party’s leadership, leaving the ADC without a formally acknowledged leadership structure despite remaining a registered political party.
According to the faction, the situation poses a serious threat to its ability to meet key requirements outlined in the electoral timetable ahead of the 2027 polls.
The letter further stressed that failure to deliver the judgment within three days could lead to the party’s exclusion from the elections, potentially disenfranchising millions of Nigerians who identify with its platform and wish to contest under its banner.
It added that while acknowledging the heavy workload of the apex court, the urgency of the matter requires swift judicial intervention, warning that any delay in the circumstances could amount to a denial of justice and have far-reaching political consequences for the party and its supporters nationwide.
