The Court of Appeal of Nigeria sitting in Abuja has dismissed an appeal filed by former Senate President David Mark in the ongoing leadership dispute within the African Democratic Congress.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday, March 13, 2026, a three-member panel of the appellate court ruled that the appeal filed by Mark, who currently serves as the National Chairman of the party, was incompetent and lacked merit.
The panel was presided over by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, with Justices Mohammed Mustapha and Okon Efreti Abang as members.
The court upheld a preliminary objection raised by the respondents, led by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman who is also laying claim to the party’s leadership. The respondents argued that the appeal relied on issues that were not properly presented before the trial court.
The dispute originates from a September 4, 2025 ruling by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Abuja. In that earlier decision, the court declined to grant injunctive reliefs sought in an ex parte application filed by Gombe.
Gombe’s substantive suit challenges the legitimacy of Mark’s election as National Chairman of the ADC and also questions the emergence of former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as the party’s National Secretary.
Despite widespread claims circulating on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and X that the Court of Appeal removed Mark from office, the judgment did not sack him as chairman nor declare any other individual as the party’s authentic leader.
Instead, the appellate court merely struck out the appeal on procedural grounds relating to jurisdiction and the scope of the issues presented before the lower court.
The court also imposed a cost of ₦2 million against Senator Mark and directed that the substantive case pending before the Federal High Court be heard on an accelerated basis.
Legal reports indicate that the ruling does not restrain Mark or Aregbesola from continuing in their respective party positions pending the final determination of the case.
The development has generated significant debate online, with some commentators interpreting the decision as part of a broader political struggle within opposition parties, while others have warned against misleading interpretations of the ruling.
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Political observers note that the African Democratic Congress has recently attracted attention following several high-profile political alignments and defections, which have increased its visibility within Nigeria’s opposition landscape.
With the Court of Appeal ordering an accelerated hearing of the matter, the leadership dispute within the party is now set to return to the Federal High Court for a final determination.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, which is also listed as a respondent in the case, has not issued any official statement regarding the recognition of the party’s leadership.
