The Supreme Court of Nigeria is set to hear separate appeals on Tuesday arising from leadership disputes within two opposition parties—the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The appeal by embattled ADC National Chairman David Mark will be heard alongside a separate appeal by a faction of the PDP backed by Seyi Makinde and led by Tanimu Turaki (SAN), both challenging earlier rulings of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria.
In the PDP case, the Turaki-led faction is contesting an appellate court judgment that nullified its national convention and leadership structure. The group argues that allowing the decision to stand could destabilise the party and is seeking a final ruling from the apex court.
In a separate appeal, Mark is seeking an order to stay execution of the Court of Appeal’s March 12 judgment affecting the ADC leadership pending the determination of his case.
Court documents in Appeal No. SC/CV/180/2026, between Mark and Nafiu-Bala Gombe and four others, show that the matter is scheduled for hearing on April 14 in Abuja. The respondents include Gombe, the ADC, Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and former ADC national chairman Ralph Nwosu.
Through his counsel, Realwan Okpanachi (SAN), Mark is asking the court to restrain INEC from recognising any other person as ADC national chairman pending the determination of the appeal. He also seeks an order halting proceedings in a related suit before Federal High Court presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite.
Okpanachi argued that unless the application is granted, enforcement of the appellate court ruling could render the appeal ineffective. He noted that the Court of Appeal had earlier directed parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum.
Confirming the development, ADC spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi said both the Supreme Court proceedings and the related Federal High Court matter were scheduled for the same day.
The dispute followed a suit filed by Gombe, a former ADC Deputy National Chairman, challenging the legitimacy of Mark and Aregbesola’s emergence as party leaders. Earlier, INEC removed their names from its official portal as national chairman and national secretary of the party, respectively, after the appellate court judgment.
Meanwhile, Mark, through another counsel, Sulaiman Usman (SAN), has also approached the Federal High Court seeking an order compelling INEC to restore their names on its portal pending the outcome of the case.
