Eshioromeh Sebastian
The African Democratic Congress faces the real possibility of being excluded from the 2027 general elections should the Supreme Court fail to deliver its judgment on a lingering leadership dispute without further delay, the party has warned.
With key electoral deadlines fast approaching, the party’s counsel has appealed directly to the Chief Justice of Nigeria to facilitate the prompt delivery of the ruling, arguing that any additional delay could prove fatal to the ADC’s participation in the polls.
The appeal, marked SC/CV/180/2026 between Senator David Mark and Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe and four others, was heard by the Supreme Court on April 22, but judgment was reserved for a later date that has yet to be communicated to the parties involved.
In a letter dated April 22, 2026, addressed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the party’s counsel, S.E. Aruwa, SAN, warned that continued delay by the apex court could expose the ADC to what he described as a “grave and irreversible risk” of exclusion from the 2027 elections.
According to the letter, the Independent National Electoral Commission, acting based on an earlier Court of Appeal judgment in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/145/2026, moved to de-recognise the ADC leadership, leaving the party without a recognised structure ahead of critical electoral deadlines.
Aruwa said the situation has created a constitutional and political crisis that could fundamentally undermine the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections.
“My Lord, the ADC’s ability to comply with these statutory requirements to participate in the 2027 General Elections is wholly dependent on the timely delivery of the judgment in the instant appeal,” the letter stated.
He added that a delay of even a few days could disenfranchise millions of Nigerians who have aligned themselves with the party.
“This would deny them their constitutional right to freely associate and contest elections through a political party of their choice,” he said.
The party also drew attention to INEC’s revised timetable for the 2027 elections, noting that key activities have already commenced and that the absence of a recognised leadership could prevent the ADC from meeting statutory deadlines for the submission of nomination lists, party primaries, and other essential electoral processes.
While acknowledging the heavy workload of the Supreme Court, the ADC maintained that “justice delayed, in this peculiar circumstance, would amount to justice denied.”
The letter, which has since circulated widely on social media, represents the latest and most urgent development in the legal dispute over the party’s leadership ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle.
The Supreme Court had earlier reserved judgment in an appeal filed by ADC National Chairman, Senator David Mark, challenging the jurisdiction of courts to intervene in the internal affairs of the party. A five-member panel of the apex court led by Justice Garba Mohammed reserved judgment after counsel adopted their briefs.
Reacting to the crisis, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar cautioned against any attempt to compromise Nigeria’s democratic process, urging the judiciary to remain independent amid rising political tensions linked to the crisis within the ADC.
Atiku made the remarks via his verified account on X, where he expressed concern over what he described as growing threats to the country’s democratic integrity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“It is increasingly evident that Nigeria’s democracy, and indeed the integrity of the 2027 general elections, is in serious jeopardy. Democracy itself is now facing an existential threat,” he stated.
Despite his concerns, the former presidential candidate said he retained confidence in the judiciary as a key institution capable of safeguarding democracy.
“However, I do not want to believe that the judiciary, long regarded as the last hope of the common man, would align with the ruling All Progressives Congress in any effort that could undermine or destroy our democratic foundations,” he added.
Meanwhile, the ADC has also accused the ruling APC of fostering actions that could threaten national stability, urging the international community to closely monitor developments it described as harmful to democratic norms.
The opposition party characterised the APC as the “most shameless government” in Nigeria’s history, alleging that it recruits agents tasked with creating factions within political parties to weaken and destabilise the opposition.
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, made the claims in a post on his X handle, linking the recent emergence of a faction within the People’s Redemption Party to a courtesy visit by its National Chairman, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, to ADC National Chairman, Senator David Mark.
Abdullahi said the development reflects a pattern of interference that is shrinking Nigeria’s democratic space, despite repeated denials by the APC-led Federal Government of involvement in the internal affairs of other parties.
“Although this is not true, it took only that single whiff of speculation for a faction to emerge almost overnight in what had been a historically tranquil political party, challenging the leadership of Baba-Ahmed,” he said.
“This is the reality of Nigeria’s shrinking democratic space under the All Progressives Congress. The government may continue to deny any involvement in the crises within other parties, insisting that these are merely internal failures, but the pattern is visible.”
The ADC maintained that the global community is observing the situation and warned of its potential consequences for Nigeria’s democratic stability.
“The world can see what is happening. More importantly, they can see where this path leads,” the party stated.
“But here is the question: is there no one within the APC who can caution those engineering crises in opposition parties that they are, in fact, sowing the seeds of national instability?”
It added that such a political approach amounts to sabotage and could leave citizens without viable alternatives come 2027.
“A political strategy that is anchored on sabotaging every opposition platform is ultimately self-destructive. When people are left with no options, they are, in reality, left with no choice.”
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