Nigeria’s Supreme Court is set to rule on high-stakes leadership disputes currently destabilizing two major opposition parties – the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The apex court’s involvement comes just 24 hours after a separate Federal High Court ruling added fresh layers of complexity to the ongoing power struggle within the ADC.
According to court notices issued Wednesday, the Supreme Court will deliver judgments on four separate appeals stemming from these internal party crises.
The final verdicts are expected to be handed down this Thursday.
The core of the PDP case rests on the legality of the party’s November 2025 National Convention held in Ibadan, Oyo state.
The Turaki group is seeking to overturn previous judicial rulings that invalidated the convention’s proceedings.
The crisis intensified after a lower court halted the convention following a legal challenge by former Jigawa Governor Sule Lamido, who alleged he was unfairly excluded from the national chairmanship race.
These rulings represent the final legal resort for the embattled parties.
The Supreme Court’s decision will effectively determine who holds the reins of power within the PDP and ADC, potentially reshaping the opposition landscape ahead of future elections.
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 maintained that the case is internal and beyond judicial interference.
However, developments at the Federal High Court in Abuja have intensified the row.
In a decisive turn of events, the court has officially barred INEC from recognizing any congresses organized by committees under the Mark-led caretaker leadership.
The ruling clarifies two critical points regarding the party’s internal structure -the court affirmed that the power to conduct such exercises resides exclusively with duly elected state structures, not temporary committees.
The judgment effectively nullified the caretaker committee’s attempts to oversee state congresses, reinforcing that the mandates of existing state executives remain valid and legally binding.
This move essentially strips the caretaker leadership of its operational control over state-level transitions, shifting the power back to established party organs.
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