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.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")
