Judgment day as Supreme Court decides fates of PDP, ADC leadership crises

Supreme By Paul Dada

Nigeria’s Supreme Court is set to rule on high-stakes disputes shaking two major opposition parties, the Peoples Democratic Party and the African Democratic Congress.

This is coming a day after a separate Federal High Court decision has further complicated the leadership tussle within the African Democratic Congress.

Notices issued by the apex court on Wednesday confirmed that the Supreme Court will  deliver judgments in four appeals arising from internal crises in both the Peoples Democratic Party and the ADC. The verdicts are expected on Thursday.

At the centre of the PDP cases is the legality of the party’s November 2025 national convention in Ibadan. A faction led by Tanimu Turaki is asking the apex court to overturn earlier rulings that invalidated the exercise. A lower court had stopped the convention after former Jigawa governor Sule Lamido challenged his exclusion from the race for national chairman.

Despite that order, the convention went ahead, prompting sharp criticism from the Court of Appeal, which described the move as a disregard for judicial authority. The appellate court upheld the earlier decisions, citing procedural breaches, including failure to conduct valid state congresses and improper issuance of notices.

The Supreme Court is also considering a related appeal seeking to lift restrictions placed on the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising the outcome of the disputed convention.

In the ADC, the dispute has taken a different turn, with multiple factions laying claim to the party’s leadership. A case filed by former Senate President David Mark is challenging a Court of Appeal ruling that restored an earlier leadership arrangement pending resolution of the crisis. Mark maintains that the matter is internal and beyond judicial interference.

However, developments at the Federal High Court in Abuja have intensified the row. In a fresh ruling, the court barred INEC from recognising any congresses organised by committees set up by the Mark-led caretaker leadership. It also affirmed that only duly elected state structures have the authority to conduct such exercises.

The judgment effectively nullified moves by the caretaker committee to oversee state congresses, stressing that the tenure of existing state executives remains valid.

Reactions have been divided. Dumebi Kachikwu, a former presidential candidate aligned with one faction, welcomed the ruling, while allies of the Mark group said they are reviewing the decision. A policy group, Heritage Centre, criticised the development, warning of broader political implications ahead of the 2027 elections.

With conflicting court decisions and deepening factional battles, attention now shifts to the Supreme Court, whose verdicts are expected to shape the leadership and stability of both parties.