Nigeria’s political tensions are set to escalate as the Supreme Court of Nigeria has fixed Tuesday to hear three crucial appeals stemming from leadership crises rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Two of the appeals were filed by a PDP faction led by Kabiru Turaki, while the third was instituted by former Senate President, David Mark, who is also a factional National Chairman of the ADC.
The cases challenge recent rulings of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, intensifying internal disputes within both parties.
The PDP faction’s appeals—SC/CV/166/2026 and SC/CV/164/2026—arose from judgments delivered on March 9, which upheld earlier decisions of the Federal High Court restraining the party from holding its planned national convention scheduled for November 15 and 16, 2025.
The lower court had ordered the PDP to comply fully with statutory requirements, including provisions of the Electoral Act and the 2022 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, before proceeding with the convention.
In one ruling, the court upheld claims by party leaders including Austin Nwachukwu and others, while another judgment directed the PDP to halt its convention plans until Sule Lamido is allowed to contest for the party’s national chairmanship.
Lamido had argued that he was unfairly excluded from the race, prompting legal action.
Meanwhile, Mark’s appeal—SC/CV/180/2026—challenges a March 12 Court of Appeal decision that dismissed his earlier case in the ADC leadership tussle.
The appellate court had ruled against Mark, agreeing with objections raised by a rival faction led by Nafiu Bala Gombe, and held that his appeal was incompetent for raising issues outside the original case.
With all three appeals now before the Supreme Court, Tuesday’s hearing is expected to be decisive in shaping the leadership direction of both parties ahead of future political activities.
