THE Supreme Court of Nigeria, on Wednesday reserved judgment in the appeal filed by the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, Senator David Mark, challenging the jurisdiction of courts to interfere in the internal affairs of the party.
News Point Nigeria reports that a five-member panel of the court, led by Justice Garba Mohammed, announced the decision shortly after counsel to all parties adopted their respective briefs of argument for and against the appeal.
Arguing on behalf of Mark, senior advocate Jibrin Okutepa urged the apex court to allow the appeal. He contended that the issue had already been settled by a Supreme Court judgment delivered on March 21, 2025, which held that no court has jurisdiction to entertain cases relating to the internal affairs of political parties.
Okutepa therefore asked the court to uphold the appeal and declare that the trial court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain a suit concerning the internal matters of the ADC.
On the other hand, counsel to the 1st respondent, Robert Emukpero, representing Hon. Nafiu Gombe, urged the court to dismiss the appeal. He argued that the lower court was right in holding that Mark’s case was premature and was properly dismissed.
The dispute stems from an earlier decision of the Court of Appeal, where a three-member panel dismissed Mark’s appeal challenging the jurisdiction of Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, to hear the suit instituted by Gombe against the ADC leadership.
In its ruling, the appellate court held that the appeal was not only premature but was also filed without obtaining the required leave of the trial court.
Consequently, the appellate court ordered that the case be returned to the trial court for expeditious hearing, while directing all parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum.
Following that directive, the electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission, moved to de-recognise the Mark-led leadership of the party pending the final determination of the authentic leadership of the ADC by the court.
Dissatisfied with the outcome, Mark approached the Supreme Court to challenge both the appellate court’s ruling and the order mandating the maintenance of the status quo.
Rather than immediately hearing the motions filed in the appeal, the apex court directed all parties to file and exchange their briefs of argument.
After listening to submissions from counsel representing the parties, Justice Mohammed announced that judgment had been reserved and that a date for its delivery would be communicated in due course.
