.Insists Gabam remains expelled from party
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prof. Abubakar Sadiq Gombe, yesterday, hailed the judgement of the Supreme Court on the lingering leadership dispute within the party.
He declared that the verdict had reaffirmed the authority of the party’s National Working Committee and validated actions taken against former National Chairman, Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam.
Addressing journalists in Abuja alongside former Minister of Power, Olu Agunloye, and former senator, Ugochukwu Uba, Gombe maintained that the apex court had effectively nullified pronouncements earlier made by the Court of Appeal regarding the party’s leadership.
According to him, the Supreme Court judgement delivered in the appeal marked SC/CV/229/2026, Fayemi Tosin Babatunde vs INEC & 4 Ors, and adopted in five related appeals, upheld the position that issues relating to internal party affairs remained within the exclusive jurisdiction of political parties.
“We represented the party physically at the Supreme Court. We have already applied for the Certified True Copy of the judgement and journalists are free to obtain the judgement themselves and verify what transpired,” Gombe said.
He dismissed claims circulating on social media suggesting that Gabam had been restored as SDP national chairman, insisting that no such order existed.
“I don’t want to rely on social media speculation. I have provided an official document duly signed and verifiable at the Supreme Court,” he added.
The SDP chairman further argued that the Independent National Electoral Commission had no option but to recognise the decisions of the party’s National Executive Committee, which ratified Gabam’s expulsion after a disciplinary process.
He said. “The NEC, being the highest organ of the party after the convention, ratified his expulsion.
“He was suspended, investigated and given room for fair hearing for two weeks, but he refused to appear before the committee.
“He was eventually expelled and never appealed through the party’s internal mechanisms within the constitutional timeframe,” Gombe stated.
He stressed that the Supreme Court had once again reinforced the principle that internal disputes within political parties should be resolved in accordance with party constitutions and procedures.
Gombe also expressed confidence that INEC would eventually comply with the implications of the judgement, citing what he described as the commission’s swift compliance with a previous Supreme Court pronouncement involving the African Democratic Congress.
“When the Supreme Court made pronouncements in the ADC matter, INEC immediately complied by restoring names on its portal. We expect INEC to also do the needful here because there is no valid court order supporting Gabam’s return,” he said.
On the rival convention reportedly held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, where Gombe and some members of the National Working Committee were allegedly suspended, the SDP chairman described the exercise as illegitimate.
He said, “We are talking about an institution, not individuals. The majority of those elected at the 2022 convention and recognised on INEC’s portal as members of the National Working Committee were with us.
“One individual cannot override the structure of the party,” he declared.
Gombe also defended the party’s convention held in Bauchi, saying it complied fully with the provisions of the Electoral Act and was properly monitored by INEC.
“We notified INEC appropriately and conducted our convention peacefully. We were the first political party in Nigeria to conclude our convention and presidential primaries, producing Prince Adewole Adebayo as our presidential candidate,” he said.
Also speaking, Agunloye accused INEC of ignoring critical correspondence and documents submitted by the party concerning Gabam’s suspension and eventual expulsion.
“The chairman of INEC himself admitted that no correspondence showing Gabam’s suspension or expulsion was brought before him. Yet we have acknowledged copies of letters and documents submitted to the commission,” he said.
Agunloye maintained that the issue at stake was purely disciplinary and not a leadership tussle.
“What we are having in SDP is not a leadership struggle. A member committed infractions, the party disciplined him and that disciplinary action was ratified by the party organs. One person cannot constitute a faction,” he added.
Uba, on his part, said political parties must be allowed to enforce discipline within their structures without external interference.
In a summary of the apex court’s decision circulated after the judgement, the Supreme Court was said to have held that the plaintiffs lacked locus standi to institute the suit challenging the SDP governorship primary in Ekiti State, thereby robbing the court of jurisdiction.
The apex court also reportedly set aside portions of the March 27, 2026 judgement of the Court of Appeal which invalidated the Ekiti SDP governorship primary and made pronouncements on the leadership of the party.
