The Supreme Court has fixed Thursday, April 30, to deliver
judgment in an appeal filed by David Mark, national chairman of the African
Democratic Congress (ADC), over the leadership tussle in the country.
The 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.
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.
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.
By
TheTimes Nigeria
