Nigeria’s Supreme Court speeds up ADC leadership dispute after INEC removes Mark and Aregbesola, causing a party crisis before the 2027 elections.
ABUJA (iexclusivenews)—Nigeria’s Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed an application filed by former Senate President Senator David Mark seeking a stay of execution of an Appeal Court ruling. The ruling empowered the INEC to derecognize Mark’s leadership of the ADC.
This decision has left the opposition party facing a leadership vacuum just months before the crucial 2027 general elections.
The dismissal followed the withdrawal of the application by Mark’s lead counsel, Jibril Okutekpa (SAN), before a five-member apex court panel chaired by Justice Lawal Garba.
Okutekpa informed the court that INEC’s interpretation of the March 12 Appeal Court decision had effectively rendered the party leaderless, intensifying the urgency of the matter.
“The injunctive order directing aggrieved parties to maintain the status quo antebellum is the direct cause of the current leadership vacuum in the ADC,” Okutekpa argued, urging the court to act swiftly given time constraints ahead of the 2027 elections.
In response, the Supreme Court issued procedural directives to accelerate the process. The court abridged filing timelines for briefs and responses, citing the time-sensitive nature of the dispute.
Substantive hearing of the appeal is now scheduled for Wednesday, April 22, 2026.
The root of the crisis
The dispute originates from a suit filed by Nafiu-Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, who is challenging the legitimacy of Mark’s role as National Chairman and that of former Lagos Governor Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary.
Gombe’s suit seeks to restrain both officials from parading themselves as ADC leaders and to prevent INEC from formally recognizing them.
“No political party can function without recognized leadership,” a senior constitutional lawyer who preferred anonymity told our correspondent. “What INEC has done by removing their names from the portal is entirely consistent with the court’s status quo order. The ball is now firmly in the Supreme Court’s court.”
Around April 1, 2026, INEC quietly removed the names of both Mark and Aregbesola from its official online portal as National Chairman and Secretary of the ADC.
The electoral body cited the Appeal Court’s “status quo” order and related correspondence as the legal basis for its action. Since then, INEC has withheld recognition from either faction pending final judicial resolution.
A chieftain from the South-West of the ADC, who preferred to remain anonymous, voiced his concern: “This situation is catastrophic for the party.” We are heading into the most competitive electoral cycle since 2015, and we cannot even field candidates without recognized national leadership. Time is running out.”
2027 elections
The timing of this legal battle is particularly alarming for opposition politics in Nigeria. With the 2027 general elections drawing nearer, political parties must meet INEC’s registration and candidate submission deadlines.
A party without legally recognised leadership cannot conduct primaries, submit candidate lists, or access its own finances, effectively sidelining it from the electoral process.
The Supreme Court’s decision to shorten filing timelines indicates that the justices are aware of the impending electoral deadline.
The April 22 hearing date gives the court a narrow window to resolve the dispute before it becomes irreversible damage to the ADC’s participation in 2027.
What happens next
The Supreme Court chamber is now the focus of attention on April 22. Legal analysts say the panel must address two central questions: whether INEC correctly interpreted the Appeal Court’s status quo order and whether Mark and Aregbesola can be validly installed as ADC leaders under the party’s constitution.
A definitive ruling could either restore the embattled duo or confirm Gombe’s faction as the party’s legitimate helmsmen.
For millions of Nigerians watching, the case is a clear signal that the judiciary, not the ballot box alone, continues to shape the country’s democratic landscape.
Whether the ADC emerges from this legal storm intact may well determine its relevance in the contest for Nigeria’s future.
