By Myke Uzendu Abuja
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has appealed to the Supreme Court of Nigeria for the immediate delivery of judgment in a pending leadership dispute, warning that any delay could jeopardise its participation in the 2027 general elections.
In a letter dated April 28, 2026, addressed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, legal representatives of the party, S. E. Aruwa, SAN & Co., described the situation as urgent and potentially damaging to the constitutional rights of both the party and its members.
The suit, marked SC/CV/180/2026, involves Senator David Mark and Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe alongside four others, and centres on the leadership structure of the party. The appeal was heard on April 22, with judgment reserved for a later date yet to be announced.
According to the ADC’s counsel, the urgency stems from recent actions by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which allegedly derecognised the party’s leadership following an earlier ruling by a lower court. The development, they argued, has left the party without a recognised leadership structure at a critical time in the electoral cycle.
The lawyers warned that the absence of a clear leadership could prevent the ADC from meeting key requirements outlined in INEC’s timetable for the 2027 elections, activities for which have already commenced.
“Our client’s ability to comply with statutory requirements is wholly dependent on the timely delivery of judgment,” the letter stated, adding that failure to do so within days could lead to “grave and irreversible risk” of exclusion from the elections.
The legal team further argued that such an outcome would effectively disenfranchise millions of Nigerians aligned with the party, denying them the constitutional right to political participation and association.
While acknowledging the heavy workload of the apex court, the counsel stressed that “justice delayed, in this peculiar circumstance, would amount to justice denied,” noting that the political future of the party and expectations of its members nationwide are at stake.
The ADC urged the court to intervene swiftly to safeguard democratic participation and ensure that no political party is unfairly excluded from the electoral process due to procedural delays.
