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Supreme Court reserves judgment in PDP, ADC leadership disputes
The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Wednesday reserved judgment in the leadership crises that have rocked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, who led a five-member panel, said the court would deliver judgment on a date to be communicated to the parties after lawyers adopted their final briefs.
The Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the PDP is urging the apex court to overturn the Appeal Court’s decision, on the grounds of the dispute being an internal party affair and not justiciable, as counsel to the faction also stated that “due process was followed” prior to and in the course of the disputed convention.
The Federal High Court Abuja had on October 31 stopped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from conducting a planned national convention.
Justice Omotosho held that the evidence before the court established that the party failed to comply with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the PDP’s constitution and INEC guidelines.
The court stated that the PDP did not conduct valid state congresses before proceeding with preparations for the national convention, and therefore barred INEC from recognizing the outcome of the convention.
The judgement was appealed by the Turaki-led faction but was dismissed by the appellate court in a unanimous judgement in Abuja, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was further restrained from recognizing the outcome of the November 15 and 16 convention held in Ibadan.
The rulings emanated from suits filed by aggrieved members and a separate matter filed by former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, who had challenged his exclusion from the chairmanship race.
PDP in its appeal is asking the Supreme Court to set aside the decisions of the lower courts and validate the convention’s outcome.
In a similar development, the Supreme Court also reserved judgment in the appeal filed by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) chairman and former Senate president David Mark, over leadership dispute in the party.
The David Mark-led faction of the ADC is currently challenging the Appeal Court’s judgment of March 12 which mandated parties to maintain status quo in the leadership dispute, on the grounds that the crisis centered around internal party affairs, and as such, the Appeal Court exceeded its jurisdiction.
Nafiu Bala Gombe, who was vice chairman of the ADC before the David Mark-led caretaker committee assumed control of the party, had challenged the emergence of the David Mark-led body as National Working Committee of the party, claiming that, following the chairman’s resignation, the chairmanship position ought to have been automatically transfered to him.
He instituted a suit on September 2, 2025, seeking to restrain the David Mark-led NWC from parading themselves as the party’s leadership.
The motion was heard on September 4, 2025, with the trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, directing that respondents be put on notice.
David Mark who is a second defendant in the suit appealed the order on December 18, 2025, which the Court of Appeal in Abuja dismissed on March 12, 2026, leading the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to derecognize the David Mark-led faction and other factions of the ADC, stating that it would maintain status quo until a final judgment is given.
Nafiu Bala Gombe, who is contesting the legitimacy of the David Mark-led leadership of the party, is however urging the apex court to dismiss the appeal.
