By Our Reporter
All eyes are on the Supreme Court on Wednesday as the court decides the leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a dispute that has deepened public disillusionment in Nigeria’s already strained political and institutional landscape. The apex court, long described as the last hope of the common man, is expected to “dispense justice without fear or favour” in a case that has effectively split the party into three rival camps.
At the centre of the storm are factions loyal to former Senate President David Mark, Nafiu Gombe, and ex-presidential candidate Dumebi Kachikwu, each laying claim to the party’s leadership ahead of the 2027 general elections. The Mark camp has accused its rivals of working to undermine the party for the benefit of the ruling APC, insisting: “It is obvious some of them are working for the APC.”
Gombe, however, rejects that claim, maintaining he never resigned as deputy national chairman and should automatically assume leadership after the exit of former chairman Ralph Nwosu. His camp has dismissed the Mark-led structure as unconstitutional, arguing that key eligibility rules were ignored and due process violated.
Further muddying the waters, Kachikwu’s bloc has disowned both sides, branding the entire process illegitimate and describing a recent convention by the Mark faction as “a show of political gangsterism.” He warned that such actions risk destabilising not just the party but the wider polity, insisting Nigeria “can no longer afford institutional sabotage.”
With court orders already halting party activities and each faction clinging to its own interpretation of the constitution, the ADC now operates like three parallel parties. As the legal battle peaks at the Supreme Court, many Nigerians—grappling with economic hardship and waning faith in democratic institutions—are watching closely, hoping for clarity in a system increasingly seen as fractured.
With reports from the Vanguard