The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved judgment in a suit seeking to determine the legitimate leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
New Telegraph reports that the case involves a leadership tussle between a faction aligned with former Senate President, David Mark, and another led by Nafiu Bala Gombe.
On Wednesday, a panel of the apex court reserved its decision after hearing arguments from parties in the appeal, which is marked SC/CV/180/2026.
The court, however, announced that a date for judgment would be communicated.
The dispute centres on conflicting claims to the party’s leadership and earlier court decisions that questioned the legitimacy of the Mark-led faction.
The Supreme Court is expected to decide whether to uphold or overturn those rulings, including decisions that prompted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove officials linked to the faction from its official records.
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The case is part of a broader effort by the court to fast-track political disputes ahead of the 2027 elections. The apex court had earlier ordered accelerated hearings for leadership crises affecting several parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and ADC.
At Wednesday’s proceedings, parties presented arguments on the internal crisis within the ADC, which has created uncertainty over the party’s structure.
Also present in court was the party’s national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi.
The dispute follows weeks of tension within the party. A planned national convention organised by the Bala-led faction in Abuja reportedly failed to hold after no delegates or party officials turned up at the venue.
Counsel to the party, Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), had earlier disclosed that the court granted an accelerated hearing of the matter and directed parties to file their briefs within strict timelines.
He said the appeal filed by the Mark faction seeks a stay of execution of the Court of Appeal judgment and an order restraining INEC from acting on it pending the final determination of the case.
“Well, the issue before the court fundamentally is whether this is a matter the court can even adjudicate on,” Okutepa said.
With judgment now reserved, uncertainty continues to trail the ADC leadership as party members await a final decision that could shape its structure ahead of upcoming political activities.
