The Supreme Court of Nigeria has reserved judgment in an appeal filed by David Mark over the leadership crisis in the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Mohammed Garba, fixed a date for judgment after hearing arguments from parties in the case on Tuesday.
The Mark-led faction of the ADC is challenging the March 12 judgment of the court of appeal, which ordered parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum in a suit filed by aggrieved members of the ADC.
In the appeal marked SC/CV/180/2026, Mark argued that the appellate court exceeded its jurisdiction by intervening in what he described as the internal affairs of a political party.
Through his counsel, Jubril Okutepa (SAN), he maintained that disputes relating to party leadership are non-justiciable and urged the court to set aside the judgment.
The respondents in the suit include Nafiu Bala, the ADC, Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Ralph Nwosu.
Among the reliefs sought, Mark asked the court to restrain INEC from recognising any leadership outside his faction pending the determination of the appeal.
He also prayed the court to stop the electoral body from making changes to the party’s leadership structure and to stay proceedings in a related suit before the federal high court in Abuja.
While INEC did not file any process for or against the appeal, other respondents urged the court to dismiss the case.
