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Nigeria’s Supreme Court has fixed April 22 to hear a key appeal in the leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC), setting the stage for a decisive legal battle over control of the party.
A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Mohammed Garba, approved an accelerated hearing of the case, signalling urgency as tensions within the party deepen.
The appeal was filed by a faction led by former Senate President, David Mark, who is challenging earlier court decisions tied to the party’s disputed leadership structure.
The court also issued strict timelines to fast-track the process. Counsel to Mark, Jibril Okutepa, was directed to file and serve the appellant’s brief immediately.
“The Apex Court also ordered counsel to the former Senate President, Jibril Okutepa, to file the appellant’s brief and serve it on Wednesday.”
The justices further directed the respondents to respond swiftly once served.
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“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.”
Okutepa was also given a narrow window to reply.
“Okutepa, according to the court, is to file a reply brief, if need be, within one day of being served with the respondents’ briefs.”
At the heart of the dispute is a chain of legal battles. Mark’s appeal challenges a March 12 ruling by the Court of Appeal, which dismissed his earlier case.
That judgment upheld a prior decision delivered on September 4, 2025, by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, who refused to grant injunctive reliefs sought in an ex parte application filed by party chieftain Nafiu Bala Gombe.
The Supreme Court’s intervention now puts the spotlight firmly on the judiciary to resolve the prolonged leadership crisis, with the outcome expected to determine who controls the party structure ahead of future political contests.
