The lingering leadership crisis within the Social Democratic Party (SDP) took a fresh twist on Friday after the Supreme Court nullified a Court of Appeal judgment that had formed the basis for the recognition of Shehu Gabam as the party’s national chairman by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
In a unanimous judgment delivered in suit SC/CV/229/2026 on May 22, 2026, the apex court set aside the ruling of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, effectively dismantling the legal backing upon which INEC recognised the Gabam-led leadership structure within the party.
The ruling is the latest development in the prolonged internal battle over the control of the SDP, particularly disputes surrounding the conduct of party primaries and the legitimacy of the party’s National Working Committee.
The crisis stemmed from appeal CA/ABJ/CV/126/2026 filed by SDP member, Fayemi Babatunde, who challenged the legality of the Ekiti State governorship primary election conducted by the party leadership.
Babatunde argued that the National Working Committee constituted under Dr. Sadiq Gombe was illegally formed in violation of the SDP constitution and provisions of the Electoral Act.
He maintained that the leadership lacked the legal authority to appoint an electoral committee or conduct valid governorship primaries, while also asking the court to restrain INEC from recognising candidates produced through the disputed process.
Earlier, the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, had on January 19, 2026 dismissed the suit and upheld the legality of the Gombe-led leadership as well as the party’s internal processes.
However, the Court of Appeal, in a judgment delivered on March 27, 2026, partly overturned the lower court’s ruling.
The three-member appellate panel led by Justice Eberechi Nyesom-Wike, with Justices Abba Mohammed and Oyejoju Oyewumi concurring, held that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to make conclusive pronouncements on the SDP leadership dispute.
Although the appellate court ruled that Babatunde was not an aspirant in the disputed governorship primary, it nonetheless voided portions of the Federal High Court judgment which recognised Dr. Sadiq Gombe as authentic national chairman of the party.
The appellate court also nullified the validation of the November 8, 2025 Ekiti governorship primary election.
Despite this, the Court of Appeal relied on INEC’s monitoring report, identified as Exhibit INEC 3, which confirmed that the governorship primary was conducted with valid delegates and produced Mr. Bamidele Oludele as winner.
Following the appellate court decision, INEC updated its official records in April, listing Gabam as SDP National Chairman and Olu Agunloye as National Secretary.
Other National Working Committee members listed by the electoral commission included Hajia Maggie Mariam as National Treasurer and Aderemi Abimbola as National Legal Adviser, with several positions marked “By Court Order.”
However, Friday’s Supreme Court verdict has now effectively wiped out the legal foundation for INEC’s recognition of the Gabam-led leadership, returning the party’s leadership structure to the control of the Abubakar Gombe faction pending further political and legal developments.
