BREAKING: Supreme Court Reserves Judgment in ADC Leadership Dispute Involving Mark and Bala

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court put off making a decision on the appeal by David Mark, the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who was challenging the court’s right to get involved in the party’s internal affairs.

Justice Garba Mohammed led a five-member panel of the Supreme Court that put off its decision shortly after lawyers for both sides presented their arguments for and against the appeal.

Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, who represented David Mark, asked the court to allow the appeal. He said that the apex court had already decided the issue on March 21, 2025, when it said, “no court has jurisdiction to entertain cases bordering on internal affairs of political parties.”

Okutepa then asked the highest court to let the appeal go through and say that the Abuja Federal High Court did not have the power to hear a case that had to do with the ADC’s internal affairs.

However, Robert Emukpero, SAN, who represented the first respondent, Nafiu Gombe, asked the Supreme Court to reject the appeal and uphold the lower court’s decision that the case was too early and should be thrown out.

It will be remembered that a three-member panel of the appellate court turned down Mark’s appeal. He was questioning whether the Abuja Federal High Court, led by Justice Emeka Nwite, had the right to hear the case that Bala had brought against the ADC’s leadership.

The appellate court said that the appeal was not only too early, but it was also filed without the trial court’s permission.

The appellate court then told the trial court to hear the case quickly and told the parties to keep things the way they are.

After the order for status quo, the electoral umpire no longer recognized the ADC leadership led by Mark until the court could resolve the issue.

Mark was unhappy with the appellate court’s decision and an order that put the order for maintenance of status quo on hold. He went to the Supreme Court to challenge both.

Instead of taking the motions filed in the appeal, the highest court told the parties to file their briefs for and against the appeal.

After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Garba said that the decision would be made at a later date that would be communicated to both sides.