BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – The Supreme Court has fixed Wednesday, April 22 to entertain the appeal filed by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by Senator David Mark as National Chairman, over the leadership crisis rocking the opposition coalition party.
Led by Justice Mohammed Garba, a five-member panel of the apex Court picked the date after granting the application for an accelerated hearing of the case.
Additionally, the Apex Court also ordered counsel to the former Senate President, Jibril Okutepa (SAN), to file the appellant’s brief and serve it on Wednesday.
Similarly, it ordered the respondents to each file and serve on the appellant, a respondent’s brief within three days of being served with the appellant’s brief.
According to the court, Okutepa is to file a reply brief, if need be, within one day of being served with the respondents’ briefs.
This leadership dispute stems from a chain of litigation, currently highlighted by Senator Mark’s appeal against a March 12 decision from the Court of Appeal, which affirmed a September 4, 2025, ruling by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Abuja Federal High Court.
The lower court had refused to grant the ex parte injunctive relief requested by the embattled party chieftain, Nafiu Bala Gombe, who is claiming to lead a faction of ADC.
The Supreme Court is now poised to resolve the protracted leadership dispute, with the verdict expected to decide the ADC’s leadership structure regarding future political contests.
More coming…
