The Pathfinder
Thursday April 30, 2026
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THE Supreme Court will today deliver its judgment in the appeals filed by the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and that of the African Democratic Party (ADC) on the leadership crisis rocking the two parties.
The apex court which had, on April 22 reserved judgement on the appeals to a date that would be communicated to parties in the matter on Wednesday, fixed today to deliver judgement in the two appeals.
Turaki’s appeal marked, marked SC/CV/164/2026 seeks to upturn the judgment of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court in Abuja, which nullified the conduct of the party’s national convention, held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2025 which produced the Tanimu Turaki-led factional national executives of the party.
While adopting their brief of argument filed on April 2, the appellants, through their team of lawyers led by Paul Erokoro (SAN) urged the Supreme Court not only to allow their appeal but also to dismiss a cross-appeal lodged against them by a faction of the party aligned with the FCT Minister.
Meanwhile, former governor Sule Lamido, who was represented by Mr. J. C. Njik-onye, SAN, as well as the Wike-backed faction, represented by Mr. Joseph Daudu, SAN, filed preliminary objections praying the court to dismiss the appeal.
The respondents insisted that, contrary to the contention by the Turaki-led group, the appeal did not fall within the sphere of the PDP’s internal affairs.
They argued that both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal had rightly exercised jurisdiction over the matter.
The appellate court had faulted the Turaki led PDP for defying the November 14, 2025, judgment of Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court which stopped the Ibadan convention.
The trial court had barred INEC from supervising, monitoring, or recognizing any convention held without including former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido as a contestant.
The restraining order followed a suit filed by Lamido, a foundation member of the PDP, alleging that, he had been arbitrarily denied the chance to contest for national chairmanship position of the party and listed the PDP and INEC as the first and second defendants, respectively.
The trial court found that Lamido had been unjustly denied a nomination form, contrary to the PDP Constitution and guidelines and declared that the party must create opportunities for members to aspire to positions.
As a consequential order, Justice Lifu halted the convention to allow Lamido to obtain the form, mobilize supporters, and campaign.
Dissatisfied with the decision, the Turaki-led PDP filed an appeal to set it aside.
Dismissing the appeal, the appellate court held that the PDP had resorted to self-help and contemptuous conduct by proceeding with the convention despite the restraining order.
In the same vein, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja had, in a judgment, stopped the Turaki led PDP from going ahead with its national convention slated for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan for failing to hold valid state congresses before the planned convention as stipulated in the 1999 constitution and INEC guidelines, as well as its own constitution.
Justice Omotosho’s judgement delivered on October 31, 2025 was in a suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025 filed by three aggrieved members of the party – Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP Chairman), Hon Amah Abraham Nanna (Abia PDP chairman) and TurnahAlabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South).
The appellate court had held in its judgment that, the convention, which produced the Turaki-led factional leadership, lacked legal backing as it disobeyed two Federal High Court judgments in Abuja delivered on October 31 and November 14, 2025.
The Justice Mohammed Danjuma-led panel said, it found no reason to overturn Justice James Omotosho’s judgement which had barred INEC from validating the Ibadan convention outcome.
The apex court also announced that it will today deliver judgement on the appeal filed by the national chairman of the African Democratic Party (ADC) Senator David Mark against Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former deputy national chairman of the party, wherein the former Senate President is challenging the jurisdiction of court to intervene in the internal affairs of the party.
In the appeal marked SC/CV/180/2026, Senator David Mark is asking the apex court to grant an order staying the execution of the Court of Appeal’s judgement delivered on March 12, which dismissed the ex-Senate President’s appeal in relation to the ongoing leadership dispute in the party.
Mark, the appellant in the appeal, had named Hon Nafiu-Bala Gombe, ADC, Ogbene Rauf Aregbesola, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Chief Ralp Nwosu as 1st to 5th respondents respectively.
The former Senate President, in the motion on notice filed by his lawyer, Realwan Okpanachi, prayed the court for an order of stay of execution of the appellate court’s judgment pending the hearing and determination of his appeal.
He also sought an order restraining INEC from acting on the Appeal Court’s judgment by recognising any person(s) other than him and the existing national officers of ADC, pending the hearing and determination of his appeal.
Mark further prayed the apex court for an order, restraining INEC from tampering with the national leadership structure of the party as presently constituted and represented by him, pending the hearing and determination of the appeal.
Besides, he sought an order staying further proceedings in suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, pending before Justice Emeka Nwite, the trial judge, at the Federal High Court in Abuja, pending the hearing and determination of his appeal at the apex court.
Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, who represented David Mark, in urging the court to allow the appeal, submitted that the apex court had on March 21, 2025 judgment put an end to the issue before the court, when it held that, “no court has jurisdiction to entertain cases bordering on internal affairs of political parties”.
Okutepa therefore urged the apex court to allow the appeal and hold that the trial court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain a suit bordering on the ADC’s internal matters.
Robert Emukpero, SAN, who represented the 1st respondent, Hon Nafiu Gombe however, urged the apex court to reject the appeal and affirm the judgment of the lower court, which held that the case of the appellant was premature and dismissed it.
It would be recalled that a three-member panel of Justices of the appellate court had dismissed David Mark’s appeal challenging the jurisdiction of Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, to entertain the suit by Gombe against the leadership of the ADC.
The appellate court in its decision held that the appeal was not only premature but was brought without leave of the trial court and ordered that the matter be returned to the trial court for expeditious hearing, adding that parties should maintain status quo ante bellum.
Following the order of status quo, INEC de-recognized the Mark-led leadership, pending the resolution of the authentic leadership of the ADC by the court.
Dissatisfied, Mark approached the apex court to challenge the ruling of the appellate court as well as an order staying the order for maintenance of status quo ante bellum.
Tribune
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