ADC crisis: Supreme Court dismisses David Mark’s application for stay of execution

This dismissal by the Apex Court on Tuesday followed the withdrawal of the application by senator Mark’s counsel Jibril Okutekpa, SAN.

 

Okutekpa had informed the five-member apex court panel headed by Justice Lawal Garba that INEC’s interpretation of the Court of Appeal decision on March 12 has made the party ‘leaderless.’

 

He says the ‘injunctive order’ for the aggrieved parties to maintain ‘status quo antebellum’ is the reason for the current leadership vacuum in the ADC. He prayed the court for urgent action in view of the time constraints in the lead up to next year’s crucial polls.

 

In its intervention, the apex court gave procedural directions to fast-track the process, including abridging time for filing briefs and responses, due to the time-sensitive nature of the matter, ahead of the 2027 elections.

 

It scheduled the substantive hearing of the appeal for Tuesday, April 22, 2026.

The original dispute stems from a suit by Nafiu-Bala Gombe (former Deputy National Chairman), who is challenging the legitimacy of Mark and Aregbesola’s leadership. INEC has withheld recognition of either faction pending court resolution of the leadership tussle.

 

Gombe sought, among other things, to restrain Mark (as National Chairman), Rauf Aregbesola (as National Secretary), and others from parading as ADC leaders, and to stop INEC from recognizing them.

 

On or around April 1, 2026, INEC removed Mark and Aregbesola’s names from its portal as National Chairman and Secretary, citing the Appeal Court’s “status quo” order and related correspondence.