The Supreme Court has reserved judgment in a politically sensitive appeal filed by Senator David Mark over the leadership crisis in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), marking another turning point in the prolonged tussle over control of the party’s national structure.
A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Garba Mohammed, announced the decision on Wednesday after lawyers representing all parties adopted their written arguments for and against the appeal.
Senator David Mark, through his counsel Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), is challenging the jurisdiction of the courts to intervene in what he describes as the internal affairs of a political party. His legal team argued that a previous Supreme Court pronouncement had already established that courts lack jurisdiction in disputes relating to party leadership and internal governance.
Okutepa urged the court to set aside earlier decisions and affirm that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit challenging the ADC leadership structure.
However, counsel to the respondent, Robert Emukpero (SAN), opposed the appeal, insisting that the lower courts acted within jurisdiction when they entertained the matter. He urged the Supreme Court to uphold earlier rulings and dismiss the appeal, describing it as premature.
The leadership crisis stems from competing claims within the ADC, which have already produced multiple court decisions at different judicial levels, including an appellate court ruling that ordered the matter returned to trial court for accelerated hearing while maintaining the status quo ante bellum.
The Court of Appeal had previously held that the appeal before it was premature and procedurally flawed, while also directing parties to maintain the existing leadership arrangement pending full determination of the substantive suit.
Following that order, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reportedly stepped back from recognizing any faction until the matter is conclusively resolved by the courts.
Dissatisfied with the appellate ruling, Mark escalated the matter to the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the decision and restore his faction’s claim to leadership authority within the party.
After hearing submissions from both sides, Justice Garba Mohammed announced that judgment has been reserved to a date that will be communicated to the parties.
The decision is being closely watched within Nigeria’s opposition political space, where multiple parties are currently grappling with internal leadership disputes ahead of future electoral alignments.
Supreme Court Halts Ruling on ADC Leadership Battle, Reserves Judgment
