Senate orders crackdown on bandits flaunting crime cash on TikTok

ABUJA, FCT — By Prime Brief Media

The Supreme Court has scheduled judgment for Thursday, April 30, 2026, in the protracted leadership dispute within the African Democratic Congress, a case with far-reaching implications for the opposition party's cohesion and electoral viability ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The apex court announced on Wednesday that the decision of a five-member panel, led by Justice Mohammed Garba, will be delivered by 2 p.m. on Thursday, following months of legal wrangling that has paralysed the party's administrative machinery and raised urgent questions about its readiness for the forthcoming electoral contest.

The dispute centres on the legitimacy of the ADC's national leadership. The party had previously been factionalised into camps led by former Senate President David Mark, who was elected national chairman of his faction at a convention, and a rival group. The current appeal, initiated by aggrieved party members led by Nafiu Bala Gombe, is contesting the legitimacy of the Mark-led leadership of the party. Other respondents in the appeal include the ADC, its National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and a former national chairman, Ralph Nwosu.

Mark is specifically challenging the March 12 judgment of the Court of Appeal, which ordered parties to maintain the status quo in the dispute. In his appeal, Mark argued that the appellate court exceeded its jurisdiction and insisted that the crisis bordered on internal party affairs, which courts lack the power to adjudicate.

The former Senate President is also seeking an order restraining INEC from recognising any leadership other than his faction, pending the determination of the appeal. The respondents, however, have urged the apex court to dismiss the appeal, maintaining that the lower court was properly seized of the matter.

The Supreme Court's judgment on Thursday could either resolve the leadership question facing the ADC or deepen the legal quagmire, with significant consequences for the party's ability to organise, mobilise, and contest the 2027 general elections. The ADC has been positioned as a potential gathering point for opposition figures, with high-profile engagements involving former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi.

However, the protracted legal uncertainty has overshadowed these coalition efforts. The party has already witnessed the defection of a number of its elected officials, including former Zamfara Senator Kabiru Marafa, who recently dumped the ADC for the Nigeria Democratic Congress amid the crisis.

The case also holds broader implications for Nigerian electoral jurisprudence, particularly regarding the extent to which courts can intervene in the internal affairs of political parties — a question that has repeatedly arisen in Nigeria's litigious political landscape. A definitive pronouncement from the Supreme Court could reshape the legal framework governing internal party disputes in the country.