The African Democratic Congress has raised the alarm over a looming political crisis, urging the Supreme Court of Nigeria to urgently deliver judgment in a pending appeal, warning that continued delay could jeopardise its participation in the 2027 general elections.
In a strongly worded letter dated April 28, 2026, and addressed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the party, through its counsel, S. E. Aruwa, SAN & Co., described its appeal as a “matter of urgent national importance” requiring immediate judicial intervention.
The appeal, marked SC/CV/180/2026, involves a protracted leadership tussle featuring David Mark, Nafiu Bala Gombe and four others. The matter was argued before the apex court on April 22, after which judgment was reserved.
In the correspondence signed by Shaibu Enejo Aruwa (SAN), the ADC warned that the delay in delivering judgment had already triggered uncertainty within the party’s leadership structure, following adverse decisions at the lower courts.
According to the party, the situation has led to the effective de-recognition of its leadership, creating confusion over who is legally empowered to act on its behalf.
“We respectfully urge Your Lordship to intervene and ensure that judgment in this appeal is delivered without further delay,” the letter read.
The party’s legal team cautioned that failure to deliver judgment within days could result in the exclusion of a key party faction from the 2027 electoral process, describing the consequences as “grave and irreversible.”
It stressed that missing critical timelines set by the Independent National Electoral Commission could effectively shut the party out of the polls.
“The delay in delivering judgment poses a grave and irreversible risk to the 2nd Respondent’s participation in the electoral process,” the lawyers stated.
Beyond internal party implications, the ADC argued that prolonged judicial delay could disenfranchise millions of Nigerians aligned with the party, thereby undermining constitutional rights to political participation.
“This would amount to disenfranchising millions of Nigerians who have chosen to associate with the party,” the letter added.
While acknowledging the heavy caseload of the apex court, the party maintained that the urgency and far-reaching implications of the case demand expedited action, invoking the legal principle that justice delayed is justice denied.
Efforts to get a response from the Supreme Court on the development were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
FOLLOW US
FOR MORE HERE
