Nigeria’s opposition parties face a defining moment this week as the Supreme Court prepares to hear crucial appeals stemming from leadership crises rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), deepening uncertainty ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The legal battles, scheduled for Tuesday, are expected to shape the future of both parties, with far-reaching implications for opposition cohesion and electoral readiness.
At the centre of the disputes are former Senate President David Mark and a PDP faction backed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, led by Tanimu Turaki (SAN). Both camps are contesting rulings of the Court of Appeal that have upended their respective leadership structures.
For the PDP, the stakes are particularly high as the Turaki-led faction seeks to overturn a judgment nullifying its national convention and leadership framework. The group has warned that upholding the decision could destabilise the party and weaken its capacity to mount a credible challenge in 2027.
In the ADC, Mark is asking the apex court to halt the implementation of the March 12 appellate court ruling that has effectively altered the party’s leadership configuration. His appeal, marked SC/CV/180/2026, lists Nafiu Bala Gombe and four others as respondents, including the party itself, Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and former national chairman Ralph Nwosu.
Through his lawyer, Realwan Okpanachi, Mark is seeking a restraining order to prevent INEC from recognising any leadership other than the current National Working Committee under him, pending the determination of the appeal. He is also requesting a stay of proceedings in a related case before the Federal High Court.
Mark’s legal team argues that the Court of Appeal’s directive to maintain the status quo ante bellum has already triggered moves capable of undermining the substance of the appeal. They accused Gombe of attempting to enforce the judgment by urging INEC to withdraw recognition from the existing leadership.
“Unless the Supreme Court intervenes, the appeal risks being rendered nugatory,” the counsel warned, insisting that the matter raises significant constitutional and legal issues.
The timing of the Supreme Court hearing coincides with proceedings in a related suit before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, which is also slated for the same day. Legal analysts suggest the lower court may suspend its hearing in recognition of the apex court’s authority.
Tensions within the ADC escalated after INEC, acting on the appellate court ruling, removed the names of Mark and Aregbesola from its official records as national chairman and national secretary. In response, Mark approached the Federal High Court through another counsel, Sulaiman Usman (SAN), seeking an order to compel the electoral body to reinstate the leadership status quo pending the outcome of the legal process.
The dispute originated from a suit filed by Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, who challenged the legitimacy of Mark and Aregbesola’s emergence, alleging violations of the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
Although the trial court declined an earlier ex parte application, it directed all parties to respond, prompting the Mark-led leadership to question the court’s jurisdiction at the appellate level.
Beyond the courts, the crisis has fractured the ADC into multiple rival factions. Both the Mark-led National Working Committee and the Gombe camp have rejected a third bloc aligned with the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, branding its members as impostors.
Gombe dismissed claims that the faction held a legitimate National Executive Committee meeting, insisting that those involved had been expelled and lacked the authority to convene such a gathering.
On his part, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the group of exploiting internal divisions for opportunistic gains.
However, the Kachikwu-backed faction has thrown its weight behind INEC’s decision to withdraw recognition from the Mark-led leadership, arguing that the move was in compliance with the Court of Appeal ruling. The group also rejected Gombe’s leadership, maintaining that it did not emerge through a credible process.
It further claimed to have convened a valid NEC meeting in Abuja, where it announced a new leadership structure, insisting that Mark and members of his executive were constitutionally ineligible to lead the party due to membership requirements.
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