ADC Raises Alarm, Urges CJN To Deliver Supreme Court Judgment To Avoid 2027 Election Exclusion

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has appealed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to urgently facilitate the delivery of judgment in a pending Supreme Court appeal, warning that any further delay could exclude the party from participating in the 2027 general elections.

In a letter dated April 28, 2026, and addressed to the CJN at the Supreme Court in Abuja, counsel to the party, S. E. Aruwa, SAN & Co., described the matter as a constitutional emergency requiring immediate intervention.

The appeal, marked SC/CV/180/2026, involves Senator David Mark versus Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe and four others, with ADC listed as the second respondent.

Titled “A Passionate Plea for the Timely Delivery of the Judgment in the Above Mentioned Appeal to Forestall the Impending Irreparable Harm to Constitutional Right of African Democratic Congress (ADC) to Participate in the 2027 General Elections,” the letter stressed that the party’s political future now hangs in the balance.

According to the legal team, the appeal was heard on April 22, 2026, and judgment was reserved for a later date to be communicated by the court.

However, the lawyers expressed concern that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), acting on the judgment of the lower court in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/145/2026, had allegedly moved to remove or de-recognise the leadership of the ADC, leaving the party without a recognised leadership structure despite remaining a registered political party in Nigeria.

The letter noted that with INEC’s timetable for the 2027 general elections already in motion, the absence of a timely Supreme Court judgment could prevent ADC from meeting statutory requirements needed to participate in the polls.

The party warned that if judgment is not delivered within three days from the date of the letter, it faces the “grave and irreversible risk” of exclusion from the 2027 elections.

It added that such an outcome would disenfranchise millions of Nigerians who identify with the ADC and deny them their constitutional right to freely associate and contest elections through a political party of their choice.

ADC further argued that justice delayed in the matter would amount to justice denied, stating that the legitimate expectations of its members nationwide and the political future of the party depend entirely on the court’s swift intervention.

The legal team urged the Chief Justice to intervene in the interest of justice and constitutional democracy, expressing hope for urgent action from the apex court.