The Supreme Court is set to hear three appeals on Tuesday, including two brought by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party led by Kabiru Turaki.
Also scheduled for hearing is an appeal filed by a factional National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, David Mark.
All three cases challenge recent rulings delivered by the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
The appeals filed by the Turaki-led PDP are identified as SC/CV/166/2026 (Peoples Democratic Party Vs. Hon. Austine Nwachukwu) and SC/CV/164/2026 (Peoples Democratic Party Vs. Alhaji Sule Lamido), while the ADC matter is listed as SC/CV/180/2026 (Senator David Mark Vs. Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe). Each appeal arises from separate judgments issued by the appellate court.
The PDP appeals stem from decisions affirming earlier rulings of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which restrained the party from conducting its national convention scheduled for November 15 and 16.
The courts held that the party must first comply with statutory provisions, including those outlined in the Electoral Act and the Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties (2022).
The judgments upheld by the Court of Appeal originated from rulings delivered by Justices James Omotosho and Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in cases initiated by aggrieved members of the PDP. One of the rulings, delivered on October 31, 2025 by Justice Omotosho in suit FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, followed a case filed by Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP Chairman), Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP chairman) and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, Southsouth).
The defendants in that matter included the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the PDP, its National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, National Organising Secretary Umar Bature, as well as the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC).
In a separate judgment delivered on November 14, 2025, Justice Lifu ordered the PDP to halt its planned convention until a former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, was given the opportunity to prepare for and contest the party’s chairmanship position. The ruling followed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2299/2025, in which Lamido alleged, among other claims, that he had been denied the chance to participate in the contest.
Meanwhile, David Mark’s appeal challenges a March 12 judgment of the Court of Appeal that dismissed his earlier appeal concerning the ADC leadership crisis. Mark had sought to overturn a September 4, 2025 ruling by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which declined to grant injunctive reliefs requested in an ex-parte application filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe.
In its decision on the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/145/2026, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam upheld an objection raised by Gombe’s legal team, headed by Luka Musa Haruna (SAN). The panel ruled that the appeal was incompetent, noting that it was based on issues not contained in the original ruling of the trial court.
