The Supreme Court has fixed April 22, 2026, for the hearing of an appeal stemming from the protracted leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The appeal was filed by the party’s National Chairman, David Mark, who is challenging earlier court rulings on the dispute over the party’s leadership structure.
A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Mohammed Garba, fixed the date on Tuesday after granting an accelerated hearing in the matter marked SC/CV/180/2026.
The case is an appeal against the March 12 judgment of the Court of Appeal, which dismissed Mark’s earlier appeal contesting a September 4, 2025 ruling of the Federal High Court, in Abuja.
In that decision, Justice Emeka Nwite refused to grant an injunctive relief sought through an ex parte application filed by an ADC chieftain, Nafiu Bala Gombe.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, the apex court directed Mark’s counsel, Jibril Okutepa, to file and serve the appellant’s brief within a compressed timeframe, in line with the accelerated hearing.
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The court further ordered the respondents to file their briefs within three days of service, while the appellant is to respond, if necessary, within one day after receiving the respondents’ processes.
The lingering dispute, now the subject of multiple litigations, centres on control of the ADC’s leadership, with rival factions laying claim to key positions, particularly that of the national chairman.
The outcome of the April 22 hearing is expected to determine the direction of the party ahead of intensifying political realignments.
