THE Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved judgement in appeals arising from the prolonged leadership crises rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), raising fresh concerns over the participation of both parties in the 2027 general elections.
News Point Nigeria reports that a five-member panel of justices, led by Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, announced that the date for the judgements would be communicated to all parties after counsel adopted their respective briefs of argument.
In the ADC matter, the appeal marked SC/CV/180/2026 was filed by the party’s National Chairman, David Mark, challenging the March 12 judgement of the Court of Appeal, which dismissed his case on grounds of alleged incompetence.
Mark is seeking an order from the apex court to stay execution of the appellate court’s ruling.
Earlier, the Court of Appeal panel headed by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam had upheld a preliminary objection filed by a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Nafiu Bala Gombe, ruling that Mark’s appeal was incompetent as it raised issues not contained in the decision of the trial court.
The dispute dates back to a September 4, 2025 ruling by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which declined to grant injunctive relief sought in an ex parte application filed by Gombe.
The lingering leadership crisis has left the ADC without a recognised national leadership, following the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on April 1 to withdraw recognition from both the Mark-led and Gombe-led factions.
INEC cited a subsisting Court of Appeal order maintaining the status quo ante bellum and stated that it would refrain from engaging either faction pending a final judicial determination.
This development has heightened concerns over the party’s preparedness for the 2027 general elections.
However, the Mark-led faction insists it emerged through due process, relying on decisions of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), including the July 29, 2025 ratification of a caretaker leadership.
The faction argues that provisions of the ADC constitution empower the NEC to manage party affairs, implement convention resolutions, and establish interim structures where necessary.
It also maintains that membership eligibility requirements were lawfully waived through NEC resolutions to accommodate coalition arrangements, adding that its earlier recognition by INEC in September 2025, as well as its conduct of congresses and the April 14 national convention, affirm its legitimacy.
Meanwhile, the PDP appeal arises from a separate leadership tussle involving the Kabiru Turaki-led executive, which is challenging concurrent judgements of two high courts and the Court of Appeal that nullified its November 15–16, 2025 national convention held in Ibadan.
The rulings favoured a rival faction aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
News Point Nigeria reports that the Supreme Court’s pending decisions in both matters are expected to have far-reaching implications for the internal stability of the affected parties and the broader opposition landscape ahead of the 2027 elections.
Stakeholders have expressed concern that both parties may be unable to field candidates for the polls if the apex court does not deliver its judgements in time.
These fears stem from the timeline set by INEC, which mandates all political parties to conduct their primaries between April 23 and May 30, 2026, ahead of the 2027 general elections.