The Supreme Court of Nigeria will on Wednesday deliver judgments in two high-stakes political appeals involving the leadership crises rocking the African Democratic Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.
Checks by our correspondent on the official website of the apex court showed that the matters, listed under “Political Appeals”, have been added to the cause list for Thursday, April 30, 2026.
Further checks showed that judgment in the ADC matter, marked SC/CV/180/2026, has been fixed for 2 pm.
Our correspondent, however, could not confirm the time for the PDP case.
The scheduled rulings come amid mounting political tension and legal manoeuvres over control of party structures ahead of the 2027 general elections, as reported by Punch.
The dispute in the ADC centres on a protracted leadership crisis involving former Senate President, David Mark, and a rival faction led by Nafiu Bala Gombe.
Mark is challenging the March 12 decision of the Court of Appeal, which directed parties to maintain the status quo in the leadership tussle.
He contended that the appellate court overstepped its bounds, arguing that the dispute is an internal party affair beyond judicial intervention.
The case was heard on April 22 by a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba, which subsequently reserved judgment.
In a move that underscored the stakes, counsel to the ADC had earlier written to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, urging the court to deliver judgment within three days.
In the letter dated April 28, 2026, the law firm of S.E. Aruwa (SAN) & Co. warned that any delay could jeopardise the party’s participation in the 2027 polls.
“This appeal was graciously heard expeditiously on the 22nd April, 2026, and judgment was thereafter reserved to a date to be communicated by the court,” the lawyers stated.
They raised concerns about INEC’s actions, alleging that the commission had acted on a lower court ruling to “remove or de-recognise the leadership” of the party.
According to them, the development has left the ADC “without leadership at the moment, even though the ADC remains a recognized registered political party in Nigeria.”
The scheduled rulings come amid mounting political tension and legal manoeuvres over control of party structures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The dispute in the ADC centres on a protracted leadership crisis involving former Senate President, David Mark, and a rival faction led by Nafiu Bala Gombe.
Mark is challenging the March 12 decision of the Court of Appeal, which directed parties to maintain the status quo in the leadership tussle.
He contended that the appellate court overstepped its bounds, arguing that the dispute is an internal party affair beyond judicial intervention.
The case was heard on April 22 by a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba, which subsequently reserved judgment.
In a move that underscored the stakes, counsel to the ADC had earlier written to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, urging the court to deliver judgment within three days.
In the letter dated April 28, 2026, the law firm of S.E. Aruwa (SAN) & Co. warned that any delay could jeopardise the party’s participation in the 2027 polls.
“This appeal was graciously heard expeditiously on the 22nd April, 2026, and judgment was thereafter reserved to a date to be communicated by the court,” the lawyers stated.
They raised concerns about INEC’s actions, alleging that the commission had acted on a lower court ruling to “remove or de-recognise the leadership” of the party.
According to them, the development has left the ADC “without leadership at the moment, even though the ADC remains a recognized registered political party in Nigeria.”
The lawyers further linked the urgency to the electoral timetable already released by INEC, stressing that compliance with statutory requirements for the 2027 elections depends on the outcome of the appeal.
“The ADC’s ability to comply with these statutory requirements to participate in the 2027 General Elections is wholly dependent on the timely delivery of the judgment in the instant Appeal,” they said.
They warned that failure to deliver judgment promptly could expose the party to “grave and irreversible risk” of exclusion from the polls, adding that such a scenario would disenfranchise millions of its supporters.
“Justice delayed, in this particular circumstance, would amount to justice denied,” the counsel added, noting that the “entire political future” of the party hangs in the balance.
