ADC LEADERSHIP TUSSLE: SUPREME COURT RESERVES JUDGMENT IN DAVID MARK’S APPEAL
Read Time:1 Minute, 49 Second
By ‘Sefiu Ajape
The Supreme Court has reserved judgment in the appeal filed by the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), David Mark, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to intervene in the internal affairs of the party.
A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Garba Mohammed, announced the decision shortly after lawyers representing the parties adopted their briefs of argument for and against the appeal.
Counsel to David Mark, Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), urged the court to allow the appeal, arguing that the Supreme Court had, on March 21, 2025, settled the issue when it held that “no court has jurisdiction to entertain cases bordering on internal affairs of political parties”.
Okutepa therefore urged the court to set aside the lower court’s decision and hold that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to hear a suit relating to the internal affairs of the ADC.
However, counsel to Nafiu Gombe, Robert Emukpero (SAN), asked the apex court to dismiss the appeal and affirm the judgment of the lower court, which held that the case was premature and struck it out.
Earlier, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal had dismissed Mark’s appeal challenging the jurisdiction of Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, to hear Gombe’s suit against the ADC leadership.
The appellate court held that the appeal was not only premature but also filed without leave of the trial court, and ordered that the matter be returned to the trial court for expeditious hearing, directing parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum.
Following that order, INEC subsequently de-recognised the Mark-led leadership pending the determination of the authentic leadership of the ADC by the court.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, Mark approached the Supreme Court to challenge the appellate court’s decision as well as the order directing maintenance of the status quo ante bellum.
Instead of hearing the motions filed in the appeal, the apex court directed parties to file and exchange briefs of argument.
After hearing submissions from both sides, Justice Garba Mohammed announced that judgment has been reserved to a date that will be communicated to the parties.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0