Barring any last minute change, the Supreme Court will today by 2pm deliver judgement in the appeal filed by the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), David Mark, challenging the jurisdiction of court to intervene in the internal affairs of the party, as well as resolution of the conflict rocking the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in an appeal seeking validation of the outcome of its November 15 and 16, 2025 National Convention held in Ibadan.
The date and time of judgement was contained in a notice sent by the apex court to lawyers of parties in the suit. A five-member panel of the apex court led by Justice Garba Mohammed had on April 22 reserved its verdict shortly after lawyers representing parties adopted their briefs of argument for and against the appeal.
In the case of the ADC, Counsel to David Mark, Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), had urged the court to allow the appeal, submitting that the apex court had in a judgment on March 21, 2025 put an end to the issue before the court when it held that “no court has jurisdiction to entertain cases bordering on internal affairs of political parties”.
Okutepa, therefore, urged the apex court to allow the appeal and hold that the Abuja Federal High Court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain a suit bordering on the ADC’s internal matters.
Opposing, Robert Emukpero (SAN), who represented the 1st respondent, Nafiu Gombe, however, urged the apex court to reject the appeal and affirm the judgment of the lower court, which held that the case of the appellant was premature and dismissed it.
The Mark faction of ADC had on Tuesday written a letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, pleading for quick delivery of judgement in the leadership tussle of the party at the national level.
The party claimed that it will suffer irreparable harm if judgement in the protracted battle was not delivered by the Supreme Court during the period allowed by the Electoral Act to field candidates for the 2027 general elections. Sensing danger of any further delay in the judgment delivery, the party raised a deep concern that it would not be able to participate in the forthcoming general election.
