The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved judgment in an appeal filed by former Senate President, David Mark, over the lingering leadership crisis in the African Democratic Congress.
A five-member panel of the apex court, headed by Mohammed Garba, adjourned the case for judgment after all parties adopted their final written addresses.
Mark, who is leading one of the factions in the party, is contesting the March 12 ruling of the Court of Appeal, which directed all parties to maintain the status quo pending the resolution of the dispute.
In his appeal, the ex-Senate President argued that the appellate court overstepped its bounds, insisting that the matter was purely an internal party issue beyond judicial intervention.
The suit was instituted by aggrieved members of the party led by Nafiu Bala Gombe, who are challenging the legitimacy of the leadership headed by Mark.
Other respondents in the case include the ADC, its National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and a former national chairman, Ralph Nwosu.
Mark is seeking a court order restraining INEC from recognising any leadership outside his faction until the final determination of the appeal.
However, the respondents urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal, arguing that the lower court acted within its jurisdiction in handling the matter, even as INEC has withheld recognition of any faction and removed the names of the feuding leaders from its official portal pending the outcome.
