Supreme Court Set April 22 to Decide ADC Leadership Tussle as Mark Battles to Halt Appeal Court Ruling

Published By Eloyi Matthew On Apr 14, 2026

Supreme Court Set April 22 to Decide ADC Leadership Tussle as Mark Battles to Halt Appeal Court Ruling

By Matthew Eloyi

Nigeria’s political landscape is set for another legal showdown as the Supreme Court prepares to hear a high-stakes appeal involving the leadership crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The apex court has fixed April 22 to hear an appeal filed by David Mark, the National Chairman of the ADC, who is seeking to overturn recent judicial setbacks in the protracted dispute.

The decision was announced by a five-member panel of justices led by Lawal Garba after all parties formally adopted their legal processes, signaling readiness for a decisive hearing.

At the heart of the case is an appeal marked SC/CV/180/2026, in which Mark is asking the Supreme Court to stay the execution of a March 12 judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal. That ruling had dismissed his earlier challenge in the ongoing tussle over the party’s leadership.

The dispute traces back to a suit filed by Nafiu Bala, a former deputy national chairman of the party, whose legal challenge has continued to test the internal cohesion of the ADC.

Mark’s current appeal follows a series of legal defeats. He had initially challenged a September 4, 2025 ruling by Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which declined to grant injunctive reliefs sought through an ex-parte application filed by Bala.

However, the Court of Appeal, in a judgment delivered by a three-member panel led by Uchechukwu Onyemenam, upheld preliminary objections against Mark’s case. The appellate court ruled that the appeal was incompetent, agreeing with arguments presented by Bala’s legal team.

The objection, argued by senior advocate Luka Musa Haruna, maintained that the issues raised by Mark were not rooted in the original decision of the trial court—effectively undermining the basis of his appeal.

As the April 22 hearing approaches, political observers say the Supreme Court’s ruling could have far-reaching implications—not only for the ADC’s leadership structure but also for internal party democracy in Nigeria.

For now, all eyes remain on the nation’s highest court, where the next chapter of this legal and political contest is set to unfold.