Lawyers seek swift ruling in ADC leadership dispute

A law firm, S.E. Aruwa, SAN & Co., led by Shaibu Aruwa, has called for a timely judgment in a pending Supreme Court case involving former Senate President David Mark and others.
The firm warned that delays could affect the African Democratic Congress (ADC)’s participation in the 2027 general elections.
In a letter dated April 28, 2026, and acknowledged by the office of the Chief Justice, the lawyers said they represent the ADC as the second respondent in the appeal marked SC/CV/180/2026.
The case, titled Senator David Mark v. Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe & 4 Ors, was heard on April 22, with judgment reserved to a later date.
The firm urged the court to expedite its decision, citing what it described as “impending irreparable harm” to the constitutional rights of the ADC and its supporters if the matter is not resolved promptly.
According to the letter, actions allegedly taken by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), based on a lower court judgment in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/145/2026 have led to the de-recognition of the party’s leadership, leaving the ADC without a functioning leadership structure.
“Your Lordship would find attached copies of the INEC Press Release de-recognising the leadership of ADC and the Revised INEC Timetable for the 2027 General 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. Without the delivery of judgment within the next three days from the date of this letter,” the letter read.
The firm further stated that failure to deliver judgment within three days of the letter could expose the party to the risk of exclusion from the elections, potentially disenfranchising millions of its supporters.
“My Lord, we are mindful of the enormous responsibilities and workload of this honourable court. We are equally aware that justice delayed, in this peculiar circumstance, would amount to justice denied. The entire political future of our client and the legitimate expectations of its members nationwide now hang in the balance,” the firm said.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette

Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

World
Italy to ban hijabs, burqas from schools amid immigration crackdown
Several European countries, including France and Belgium, already banned face coverings in public places. Italy’s plans came after several related initiatives in recent months.

Rights
Gov Bago relaxes curfew amid tension over NSCDC’s alleged killing of miners
The governor appealed to residents to remain law-abiding and responsible citizens as the government continues to work to improve their well-being.

Sport
Awoniyi replaces injured Osimhen in Super Eagles squad for AFCON 2027 qualifiers
Coventry City striker Taiwo Awoniyi has replaced injured Victor Osimhen in the Super Eagles squad for Nigeria’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches this month.

Opinion
Deaths that have become ordinary
The citizens who died in Odigbo were not numbers. Neither were the 37 people who died in Niger.

Lagos
Lagos directs evacuation from flood-prone areas
The Lagos government said the directive followed a fresh seven-day flood alert issued by the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency.

Politics
Navy chief urges cadets to uphold democratic values
The chief of training (Nigerian Navy) has charged passing-out cadets of the Nigerian Defence Academy to uphold democratic values and safeguard Nigeria’s national interests.





