‘We Have Only 3 Days or We Are Out of 2027 Election’ – ADC Tells CJN

Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.

The David Mark‑led faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has formally appealed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere‑Ekun, to ensure the swift delivery of the Supreme Court’s judgment in the party’s protracted leadership dispute. In a letter dated April 28, 2026, the faction’s counsel, Shaibu Enejoh Aruwa (SAN), warned that any further delay could lead to the party’s exclusion from the 2027 general elections. The Supreme Court had, on April 22, heard arguments in the appeal marked SC/CV/180/2026 and reserved judgment without announcing a date. The five‑member panel, presided over by Justice Mohammed Garba, was considering former Senate President David Mark’s challenge to the March 12 ruling of the Court of Appeal, which directed all parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum pending the resolution of the leadership tussle.

The letter underscored the urgency of the situation, noting that without a verdict within three days, the ADC “stands the grave and irreversible risk of being excluded from participating in the 2027 General Elections.” The faction argued that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), acting on the strength of the lower court’s decision, had already moved to de‑recognise the party’s leadership, leaving the ADC without a recognised structure even though it remains a registered political party. According to the letter, this leadership vacuum has created a constitutional and political crisis that could cripple the party’s preparations for the upcoming polls. “My Lord, 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,” the letter read.

The leadership battle between the Mark‑led faction and the group loyal to Nafiu Bala Gombe has been raging for months. The dispute escalated after a Federal High Court ruling on September 4, 2025, which was challenged by Mark but later upheld by the Court of Appeal. In its March 12 judgment, the appellate court dismissed Mark’s appeal as lacking in merit and ordered all parties to maintain the status quo. Bala, a former deputy national chairman, has consistently argued that Mark’s takeover of the party structure was unconstitutional. Meanwhile, the Mark faction maintains that the matter is an internal party affair over which the courts have no jurisdiction. Senior Advocate Jibrin Okutepa, representing Mark, reminded the apex court of its March 21, 2025 precedent that “no court has jurisdiction to entertain cases bordering on internal affairs of political parties.”

The legal limbo has already attracted regulatory consequences. INEC, citing the Court of Appeal’s status quo order, has removed the names of all contending leaders from its official records and has declined to recognise any faction until the courts deliver a definitive ruling. The commission has fixed May 10, 2026, as the deadline for political parties to submit their membership registers as part of preparations for the 2027 polls. With the primaries scheduled to run from April 23 to May 30, the Mark faction argues that any further delay in the Supreme Court’s judgment would effectively disenfranchise millions of Nigerians aligned with the party. “This would deny them their constitutional right to freely associate and contest elections through a political party of their choice,” the letter warned.

Political observers note that the Supreme Court’s eventual decision could have far‑reaching implications not only for the ADC but for the broader question of judicial intervention in internal party affairs. The ADC, which has positioned itself as a major opposition platform, has attracted high‑profile figures including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former presidential candidates Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, and former APC aspirant Rotimi Amaechi. Until the apex court delivers its ruling, the party’s leadership remains in legal limbo, its fate now squarely in the hands of the judiciary.

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