ADC, PDP Leadership Fights: Supreme Court Reserves Judgement
The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved judgment in the leadership crisis rocking Nigeria’s two foremost political parties, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
When both cases came up for mention on Wednesday, the apex court said it would a later date to pronounce its decision.
PDP’s Case At The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court reserved its judgment in the appeal filed by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki seeking to overturn the ruling of the Court of Appeal, which nullified the conduct of the PDP’s national convention, held in Ibadan last year.
Justice Lawal Garba, who led the five-member panel of justices, made the announcement on Wednesday, shortly after lawyers representing parties in the appeal adopted their written addresses for and against the appeal.
According to Justice Garba, the judgment would be delivered on a date to be communicated to all parties in the appeal.
The Turaki group had asked the apex court to overturn the Court of Appeal’s decision invalidating the Ibadan National Convention held on November 15 and 16, 2025.
The Turaki group told the apex court that the matter borders on internal party affairs of the party, which are not justiciable, and that due processes were followed.
The lower courts had ruled against the Turaki faction, nullifying the Ibadan Convention, barring INEC from recognising its outcomes, and restricting access to the national secretariat in some rulings.
The suits by the Turaki-led PDP are against the judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered on March 9, affirming two judgments of the Federal High Court in Abuja that ordered the PDP not to hold its national convention scheduled for November 15 and 16, 2025, until it complied with relevant statutory provisions, including the Electoral Act and Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties (2022).
The Federal High Court in Abuja had stopped the Turaki-led PDP from going ahead with its national convention slated for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan.
The trial judge, Justice James Omotosho, held in his judgment that the evidence before the court showed that the party failed to hold valid state congresses before the planned convention as stipulated in the 1999 constitution and INEC guidelines, as well as its own constitution.
Justice Omotosho’s judgment delivered on October 31, 2025, was in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025 filed by three aggrieved members of the party – Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP Chairman), Hon. Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP Chairman), and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South).
The second was the judgment by Justice Peter Lifu in which the PDP was ordered not to proceed with its planned convention until it afforded a former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, the opportunity to prepare and contest as a chairmanship candidate in the elective convention.
Lamido filed the suit challenging his exclusion from the national chairmanship contest, which led to the court issuing orders halting the convention.
He argued that the party denied him the opportunity to purchase the chairmanship nomination form to enable him to participate in the convention.
On November 14, Justice Lifu made a final order restraining the PDP from conducting its national convention, holding that the evidence before the court established that Lamido was unjustly denied the opportunity to obtain a nomination form to contest the position of national chairman of the party, in violation of the PDP constitution and its internal regulations.
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA—The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved judgment in the leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
A five-member panel of the apex court, headed by Justice Mohammed Garba, reserved the matter for judgment after hearing from all parties.
The appeal, marked SC/CV/180/2026, was filed by Senator David Mark.
The appellant who leads a faction backed by frontline opposition figures, seeks to set aside a March 12 Court of Appeal judgment, which he said was against the interest of justice.
He argued that the appellate court exceeded its jurisdiction by ordering maintenance of the status quo ante bellum in a suit filed by aggrieved party members led by Nafiu-Bala Gombe.
Mark contended that the dispute involves a political party’s domestic affairs, in which courts lack jurisdiction to intervene.
Besides Gombe, other respondents in the appeal include the ADC, the National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the immediate past national chairman of the party, Chief Ralph Nwosu.
Mark sought, among other reliefs, an order restraining INEC from recognizing anyone other than him and the current national officers, pending determination of the appeal.
He also requested orders barring INEC from altering the party’s leadership structure as currently constituted and staying proceedings in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025 before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court, Abuja, until the appeal is heard.
While adopting their brief of argument, Mark’s legal team, led by Mr. Jubril Okutepa, SAN, insisted the dispute is a non-justiciable internal party matter, as previously held by the Supreme Court.
ADC Supreme Court Case
Although INEC did not file any process to either support or counter the appeal, however, all the other respondents urged the apex court to dismiss it for want of merit.
They maintained that the trial court was properly seized of facts of the case that is still pending before it.
INEC had removed Mark and Aregbesola from its portal and website as ADC National Chairman and Secretary, respectively, on April 1, citing the Court of Appeal’s judgment.
The electoral body said it would, in line with the order for maintenance of the status quo ante bellum, not recognise any of the warring factions until the legal dispute is determined.
However, despite INEC’s action—which the Mark-led faction has asked the Supreme Court to nullify—the ADC vowed to proceed with its scheduled national convention.
Justice Nwite of the Federal High Court had on April 14, adjourned sine die (indefinitely), hearing of the substantive case that Gombe filed to sack the Senator Mark-led leadership of the ADC.
Justice Nwite said he could not proceed with the matter, in view of the related issue before the Supreme Court.
He ruled that proceeding would amount to “judicial rascality” while the related appeal pends before the Supreme Court.
