Nigeria’s Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its judgment in the high-stakes appeal by former Senate President Senator David Mark over the fractious leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), leaving the opposition party’s future hanging in the balance as the countdown to the 2027 general elections intensifies.
A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Mohammed Garba, heard arguments from all parties in the appeal marked SC/CV/180/2026 before announcing that the date for judgment would be communicated to the lawyers involved.
The decision came after an accelerated hearing granted earlier this month, showing the urgency of the matter for Nigeria’s political landscape.
The dispute pits Mark’s faction, which includes prominent figures like former Osun State Governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary and has drawn interest from key opposition leaders such as Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Kwankwaso, against a rival group led by Nafiu Bala Gombe. It traces back to a suit filed by Gombe at the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenging the legitimacy of Mark and Aregbesola’s positions.
In March, the Court of Appeal dismissed Mark’s appeal against a September 2025 Federal High Court ruling, a decision that prompted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to derecognize the Mark-led executive on its portal, effectively rendering the party “leaderless” in official records. Mark’s team has maintained that the appellate ruling was procedural and did not touch the substantive merits of their leadership.
The Mark-led faction argues it emerged legitimately from a convention and represents the authentic leadership, while the rival camp insists on irregularities, including allegations of forged signatures on resignation letters. The crisis, which has simmered since around 2022, has already seen expulsions, parallel structures, and legal maneuvers that have weakened the party’s cohesion.
