The opposition party that Peter Obi and Kwankwaso are banking on for their joint presidential ticket could be disqualified from fielding any candidates if leadership disputes aren’t resolved by May 10
The African Democratic Congress — the party at the centre of the most talked-about opposition alliance in Nigerian politics — is staring at potential disqualification from the 2027 general elections after the Supreme Court reserved judgment in its leadership dispute without setting a date, leaving just thirteen days before a critical INEC deadline.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has set May 10, 2026 as the hard deadline for all registered political parties to submit their membership registers. Parties that fail to comply will not be eligible to sponsor candidates in the 2027 polls. For the ADC, which is currently split into three warring factions, the clock is ticking with devastating urgency.
The crisis stems from the exit of former ADC chairman Ralph Nwosu, which triggered competing claims to leadership. Today, three separate factions claim control of the party: one led by Nafiu Bala Gombe, another by former Senate President David Mark, and a third aligned with caretaker committee chair Kingsley Ogga, backed by the party’s 2023 presidential candidate Dumebi Kachikwu. Critically, none of these factions has been officially recognised by INEC.
The Supreme Court, led by a five-member panel under Justice Mohammed Garba, heard arguments from all parties last week but opted to reserve judgment with no specified delivery date. The decision has plunged the ADC — and the broader opposition movement — into a state of near-paralysis.
The timing could not be worse. Just days ago, the political world was electrified by reports that Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso had agreed to run on a joint ticket under the ADC banner, with Obi as the presidential candidate and Kwankwaso as his running mate in a one-term arrangement. The ‘OK Movement’ had been gaining enormous momentum, and the ADC was emerging as the primary vehicle for opposition consolidation ahead of 2027.
Now, that entire strategy is in jeopardy. If the Supreme Court fails to deliver its verdict before May 10 — or if the ruling fails to clearly establish one legitimate leadership — INEC could delist the ADC entirely. That would leave Obi, Kwankwaso, and millions of their supporters without a political platform at the most critical juncture in the opposition’s campaign.
The PDP faces its own leadership crisis, though the situation there is somewhat less dire. The faction aligned with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike currently holds INEC recognition and has already begun the process of selling nomination forms, with sales slated to run from April 27 through May 4. But the Supreme Court’s reserved judgment on the PDP dispute also creates uncertainty — a ruling that overturns the current leadership could invalidate the entire nomination process.
Legal analysts say the Supreme Court faces enormous pressure to act swiftly. ‘This is not an ordinary party dispute,’ noted one constitutional lawyer. ‘The court’s delay directly affects millions of voters who want to exercise their democratic right to choose candidates through these parties. Every day of delay is a day closer to democratic disenfranchisement.’
For the ruling APC, the opposition’s legal chaos is a strategic gift. A fragmented, legally challenged opposition increases the likelihood of an APC walkover in 2027 — a scenario that many Nigerians, exhausted by the economic challenges of the current administration, had hoped to avoid. The coming thirteen days will be among the most consequential in Nigerian political history. If the Supreme Court delivers a clear, timely verdict, the 2027 election could feature the most competitive opposition alliance in the Fourth Republic. If it does not, Nigeria’s largest opposition movements may find themselves locked out of the ballot entirely — victims not of the electorate’s verdict, but of their own internal divisions and a judiciary unable to keep pace with the political calendar.
