By Vivian Okejeme
The leadership crises rocking African Democratic Congress (ADC) subsists as the Supreme Court, Wednesday, reserved judgment in an appeal filed by the former Senate President, David Mark.
A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Mohammed Garba, reserved a date for judgment after hearing arguments from parties in the matter.
The former Senate President is challenging the March 12, judgment of the court of appeal, which ordered parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum in a suit instituted by aggrieved members of the party.
Mark contested that the appellate court exceeded its jurisdiction by intervening in what he described as the internal affairs of a political party.
Counsel to Mark, Jubril Okutepa, SAN, maintained that disputes relating to party leadership are non-justiciable, urging the court to set aside the judgment.
Other respondents in the suit are Nafiu Bala, the ADC, Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Ralph Nwosu.
In the appeal marked SC/CV/180/2026, Mark among other reliefs 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 INEC 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.
David Mark is before the Apex court challenging the ruling delivered by the court of appeal delivered on March 12, which dismissed his appeal against a September 4, ruling of the federal high court.
In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, Bala, a former deputy National Chairman of the ADC, sought to stop the Mark-led leadership from parading themselves as national officers of the ADC.
ADC, Mark, Aregbesola (national secretary), INEC, and Ralph Nwosu, the party’s founder and former national chairman are mentioned as defendants
Bala maintained that he never resigned his position as National vice-chairman and argued that he ought to have assumed leadership in line with the party’s constitution following Nwosu’s exit as National chairman.
He later declared himself National chairman, vowing to challenge the Mark leadership in court.
In the suit filed on September 2, 2025, Bala sought an order restraining INEC from recognising Mark-led executives and compelling recognition of himself as acting national chairman.
He also prayed the court to stop the party from holding meetings, congresses, or conventions pending the determination of the suit.
On September 4, 2025, Emeka Nwite, in an ex parte motion, directed that the respondents, including INEC, be put on notice to show cause why the motion ex parte should not be granted.
Irked by the ruling, Mark filed an appeal challenging the jurisdiction of the federal high court to continue to hear Bala’s suit.
However, on March 12, 2026, the court of appeal dismissed Mark’s case in its entirety, holding that it was incompetent and unmeritorious.
The court of appeal directed parties to return to the trial court and maintain the status quo ante bellum pending the determination of the suit.
Therefore, INEC on April 1, announced that it would no longer recognise the factions of the ADC led by Mark or Bala, following its review of the court of appeal judgement.
The commission also said it would refrain from engaging with both groups or monitoring their meetings, congresses, and conventions.
Responding to INEC’s decision, the Mark-led faction filed a motion asking the court to compel the commission to restore their names and recognise them as members of the party’s national working committee (NWC).
