…Sacks Tanimu Turaki Led PDP Faction
The African Democratic Congress,ADC can now heave a sigh of relief and focus on preparations for the 2027 elections following the Supreme Court judgment on Thursday resolving the leadership crisis rocking the party in favour of the David Mark led faction.
Tension had been building over the delay in delivering judgment on who is the authentic National Chairman of the party between Sen.David Mark and the former Deputy National Chairman,Nafiu Bala Gombe, as the date for party primaries draw nearer raising fears of possible exclusion from the ballot.
On Thursday, however, the highly-anticipated judgment came exactly nine days after the five-member panel of justices of the apex court reserved their ruling in the appeals hovering over the authentic leadership of the ADC and the People’s Democratic Party.
With the judgment, the road is now clear for the ADC to begin all preparations for the 2027 elections field candidates in all elective offices at the 2027 general election.
At the last proceedings before the verdict, Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, who represented David Mark, urged the apex court to allow the appeal, on the grounds that the apex court had in a judgment delivered on March 21, 2025, put an end to the issue before the court, when it held that, “no court has jurisdiction to entertain cases bordering on internal affairs of political parties”.
Okutepa therefore urged the apex court to allow the appeal and hold that the trial court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain a suit bordering on the ADC’s internal matters.
Robert Emukpero, SAN, who represented the 1st respondent, Nafiu Gombe however, urged the apex court to reject the appeal and affirm the judgment of the lower court, which held that the case of the appellant was premature and dismissed it.
After taking arguments from all parties, Justice Mohammed Garba, who presided over the proceedings, subsequently announced that judgment is reserved to a date that would be communicated to parties.
Before approaching the Supreme court, the appellate court had in a ruling in the appeal filed by the Mark-led leadership against the ruling of a Federal High Court, Abuja, in March ordered status quo ante bellum.
In a surprise move by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC the recognition accorded Mark led leadership was withdrawn based on the ruling of the appellate court.
Gombe, had last year dragged the Mark-led leadership before Justice Emeka Nwite, to challenge the leadership of the ADC led by David Mark, and had among others sought for an order restraining the Mark-led leadership from parading themselves as leaders of the ADC.
Gombe added that he remains the authentic leader of the party, following the resignation of the then chairman and other members of the executive.
Senator David Mark was announced as the chairman of an interim national executive of the ADC, at a meeting in Abuja, last year and his chairmanship affirmed at the convention of the party held recently.
Justice Nwite however had declined to issue a restraining order against the Mark-led leadership but rather ordered the applicant to put the defendants on notice.
Based on that ruling Mark approached the appellate court to challenge the jurisdiction of Nwite to entertain the suit by Gombe in the first place, while insisting that the trial court cannot entertain the suit suit by Gombe, for being an internal matter of the ADC.
Mark also argued that the trial court became functus officio when he refused the grant of the restraining order against the Mark-led leadership.
The appellate court however in its judgment last month dismissed Mark’s appeal and returned the case to the trial court.
While the appellate court had ordered accelerated hearing in the matter, it went ahead to order status quo ante bellum, an order which INEC acted upon to de-recognized the Mark leadership as well as removed their names from INEC’s portal.
Not satisfied with verdict Mark approached the Supreme Court to set aside the ruling of the appellate court.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Thursday also ruled against the Ibadan Convention of the People’s Democratic Party, putting an end to the Tanimu Turaki led faction and making way for Abdulrahman Mohammed faction backed by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike to lead the party.
