The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has made a desperate last-minute appeal to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, warning that any further delay in delivering judgment in its leadership tussle could effectively shut the party out of the 2027 general elections.
In a strongly worded letter dated April 28, 2026, addressed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria by senior advocate Shaibu Enejo Aruwa (SAN), counsel to the ADC, the party pleaded for urgent judicial intervention in the pending Supreme Court appeal involving Senator David Mark and Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe.
The suit, marked SC/CV/180/2026, is titled: Senator David Mark v. Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe & 4 Ors.
The appeal is at the center of the fierce leadership crisis rocking the ADC, with both factions battling for legitimacy ahead of the 2027 polls.
In the letter, Aruwa warned that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), relying on the judgment of the lower court in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/145/2026, had allegedly moved to remove or de-recognize the current leadership of the party, leaving the ADC dangerously exposed.
“A passionate plea for the timely delivery of the judgment in the above mentioned appeal to forestall the impending irreparable harm to constitutional right of African Democratic Congress (ADC) to participate in the 2027 general elections,” the letter stated.
According to him, the Supreme Court had already heard the matter expeditiously on April 22, 2026, and reserved judgment for a later date to be communicated by the court.
However, he stressed that time was rapidly running out as INEC’s timetable for the 2027 general elections had already commenced, with critical statutory deadlines looming.
“My Lord, this appeal was graciously heard expeditiously on the 22nd April, 2026 and judgment was thereafter reserved to a date to be communicated by the court,” Aruwa wrote.
“However, My Lord, we are most respectfully constrained to request for my Lord’s kind intervention and directive in ensuring that the judgment is rendered timely.”
He argued that without a swift ruling, the party could be left without recognized leadership, making compliance with electoral requirements nearly impossible.
“INEC… acted to remove or de-recognize the leadership of the African Democratic Congress, ADC leaving the ADC without leadership at the moment even though the ADC remains a recognized registered political party in Nigeria,” he stated.
The senior lawyer further warned that failure to deliver judgment within three days of the letter could leave the ADC facing “grave and irreversible risk” of exclusion from the 2027 elections.
“Without the delivery of judgment within the next three days from the date of this letter, the ADC stands the grave and irreversible risk of being excluded from participating in the 2027 General Elections,” he wrote.
He added that such an outcome would not only affect the party but would also disenfranchise millions of Nigerians who identify with the ADC and wish to contest elections through the platform.
“This would disenfranchise millions of Nigerians who have subscribed to the ideals of the ADC and deny them their constitutional right to freely associate and contest elections through a political party of their choice.”
Aruwa insisted that the matter had gone beyond party politics and now touched directly on constitutional rights and democratic participation.
“Justice delayed, in this particular circumstance, would amount to justice denied. The entire political future of our client and the legitimate expectations of its members nationwide now hangs in the balance,” he stated.
The letter has intensified political tension around the ADC crisis, especially as opposition realignments ahead of 2027 continue to place the party at the center of national political calculations.
With Senator David Mark’s faction and the Bala Gombe-led bloc locked in a high-stakes legal battle, the Supreme Court’s eventual ruling is expected to determine not just the party’s leadership, but possibly its survival in the next general elections.
