BREAKING: Supreme Court Dismisses David Mark’s Bid to Reclaim ADC Leadership as INEC Delists Ex-Senate President

The Supreme Court has dismissed an application for stay of execution filed by former Senate President David Mark, effectively upholding the electoral body INEC’s decision to remove him from its portal as the recognised National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

 

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

 

The Party Is Now Leaderless

Okutekpa informed the five-member panel headed by Justice Lawal Garba that INEC’s interpretation of the Court of Appeal decision of March 12 had rendered the party “leaderless.”

 

The Senior Advocate explained that the “injunctive order” requiring aggrieved parties to maintain “status quo antebellum” was the direct cause of the current leadership vacuum within the ADC.

 

He prayed the court for urgent action, citing the time constraints as the 2027 general elections draw closer.

 

Supreme Court Fast-Tracks Hearing

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 political matter.

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

 

The original dispute stems from a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, who is challenging the legitimacy of Mark’s leadership and that of former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who serves as National Secretary.

 

Gombe sought, among other reliefs, to restrain Mark, Aregbesola, and other officials from parading themselves as ADC leaders, and to stop INEC from according them official recognition.

 

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

 

The commission has since withheld recognition of either faction pending final resolution of the leadership tussle by the courts.

 

What Next?

With the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the stay of execution application, Mark’s legal team must now prepare for the substantive appeal scheduled for April 22.

 

The outcome of that hearing will determine whether the former Senate President reclaims control of the ADC’s machinery or whether the party enters the 2027 election cycle under new leadership.

 

For now, the ADC remains, in the words of its own counsel, “leaderless” in the eyes of the electoral commission.

 

This is a developing story. Further updates will follow as the April 22 hearing approaches.