The Supreme Court of Nigeria has dismissed an application for stay of execution filed by former Senate President, David Mark, in a leadership dispute rocking the Action Democratic Congress.
The application sought to halt the enforcement of a Court of Appeal ruling that prompted the Independent National Electoral Commission to withdraw recognition of the Mark-led leadership of the party.
The apex court, in a ruling delivered on Tuesday, struck out the application following its withdrawal by Mark’s counsel, Jibril Okutekpa (SAN).
During proceedings, Okutekpa told the five-member panel led by Lawal Garba that INEC’s interpretation of the Court of Appeal judgment delivered on March 12 had effectively rendered the party “leaderless.”
He explained that the “injunctive order” directing parties to maintain “status quo antebellum” had created the current leadership vacuum within the ADC. He urged the court to act urgently, citing time constraints ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Despite dismissing the application, the Supreme Court moved to fast-track the case, issuing procedural directives including abridging the time for filing briefs and responses due to the time-sensitive nature of the dispute.
The court subsequently fixed April 22, 2026, for the substantive hearing of the appeal.
The leadership crisis stems from a suit filed by Nafiu-Bala Gombe, who is challenging the legitimacy of Mark and Rauf Aregbesola as National Chairman and National Secretary of the party, respectively.
In the suit, Gombe is seeking to restrain them and others from parading themselves as leaders of the ADC, as well as to stop INEC from recognizing them.
Acting on the appellate court’s directive to maintain the status quo, INEC, around April 1, 2026, removed the names of Mark and Aregbesola from its official portal as National Chairman and Secretary, pending final judicial determination of the dispute.
The electoral body has since withheld recognition of any faction of the party as the legal battle continues.
