David Mark Camp Fixes Inauguration for State Leaders to Seal Control of ADC; Rival Factions Brace for Supreme Court Showdown as ‘Third Force’ Tightens Grassroots Grip

The leadership battle for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has “flipped the script” into a race for grassroots dominance. Today Monday, April 13, 2026, the faction led by former Senate President David Mark announced that all newly elected state executives will be officially inaugurated on May 12. This “Solution” to the party’s internal friction is a clear attempt to lock down the party’s structure before the courts can “tinker” further with the leadership.

The “Tsunami” of legal challenges hasn’t slowed down the Mark camp’s “Renewed Hope” for a massive 2027 coalition. By swearing in state chairmen now, they are sending a “Drill or Drop” message to the opposition: the David Mark leadership is moving forward, with or without INEC’s current portal recognition. “Unity and discipline are our watchwords as we prepare to take office across the 36 states,” a party spokesperson stated in Makurdi.

This bold move comes just 24 hours before the Supreme Court is set to hear the definitive appeal in the case of Mark vs. Nafiu Bala Gombe. While Gombe’s supporters insist that the David Mark group is “faceless” since being deleted from the INEC records on April 1, the Mark camp is betting that the apex court will restore the “status quo ante bellum.”

As the “digital trenches” of Nigerian politics watch the clock, the May 12 date stands as a defiant landmark. For the average ADC member, the message is one of survival: the party is building its foundation at the state level, even while the roof is being contested in the highest court in the land. Whether this inauguration will be a victory lap or a legal “nullity” now rests entirely in the hands of the Supreme Court justices tomorrow.