Supreme Court Appeal Forces Indefinite Halt to Nafiu Bala’s Challenge Against David Mark’s ADC Leadership

By Tgnews Reporter

A Federal High Court in Abuja has indefinitely adjourned a suit filed by Nafiu Bala, a former deputy national chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which seeks to challenge Senator David Mark’s leadership of the opposition party.

In a ruling delivered on Tuesday, Justice Emeka Nwite held that proceeding with the matter while an interlocutory appeal on the court’s jurisdiction is pending before the Supreme Court would amount to “judicial rascality.”

The judge accordingly adjourned the suit sine die, pending the determination of the appeal at the apex court.

Nafiu Bala had approached the court seeking, among other reliefs, an order restraining Senator Mark and his faction from parading themselves as the legitimate national leadership of the ADC.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, also named the party, Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and former national chairman Ralph Nwosu as defendants.

The development is the latest twist in the protracted leadership crisis rocking the ADC, which escalated after Senator Mark, a former Senate President, assumed the position of national chairman. Bala maintains that he is the rightful acting national chairman in line with the party’s constitution.

Justice Nwite’s decision came after the Supreme Court granted accelerated hearing to an appeal filed by the Mark-led faction. The apex court has fixed April 22, 2026, for the hearing of the appeal, which challenges a March 12, 2026 ruling of the Court of Appeal that had earlier dismissed Mark’s challenge and upheld aspects of Bala’s position.

Legal experts view the indefinite adjournment as a prudent move to avoid conflicting decisions between the lower court and the Supreme Court on the same subject matter.

By stepping aside, the Federal High Court has effectively deferred to the apex court’s authority on the jurisdictional issue.

The ruling coincides with other dramatic developments in the crisis. On the same day, the David Mark-led faction reportedly held a national convention where it expelled Nafiu Bala and others for alleged anti-party activities.

The ADC leadership tussle has significant implications for the party’s preparation ahead of future elections, as the internal division has already affected INEC’s recognition of the party’s executives. The electoral umpire had earlier suspended recognition of any faction pending the resolution of the dispute.

With the Supreme Court now set to intervene decisively on April 22, stakeholders in the ADC are watching closely to see how the apex court’s decision will reshape the party’s national leadership structure and restore much-needed stability.

The indefinite adjournment leaves the substantive suit by Nafiu Bala in limbo until the higher court pronounces on the appeal, underscoring the hierarchical nature of Nigeria’s judicial system in resolving high-stakes political disputes.