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The Supreme Court on Friday affirmed the Prof. Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), setting aside an earlier Court of Appeal judgement that had been relied upon by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to restore former National Chairman, Shehu Musa Gabam.
In a landmark judgement delivered in suit number SC/CV/229/2026, the apex court nullified the Appeal Court decision, which had invalidated the Ekiti State governorship primary that produced Ambassador Isaac Adebayo Alade as the SDP candidate for the June 2026 governorship election in the state.
The ruling followed six appeals filed by the SDP and heard by the Supreme Court on May 12, 2026, with judgment reserved until Friday.
According to a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, the Supreme Court held that the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to institute the suit, thereby depriving the court of jurisdiction.
The apex court further ruled that the Federal High Court was right in dismissing the case for lack of locus standi and should not have proceeded to make additional findings after reaching that conclusion.
The court faulted the Court of Appeal for entertaining the appeal and making pronouncements on the SDP governorship primary, venue of the election, and the leadership structure of the party despite lacking jurisdiction.
The Supreme Court also set aside the appellate court’s reliance on an INEC report concerning a purported parallel governorship primary involving Engineer David Oludele Bankole.
Specifically, the apex court nullified all pronouncements made by the Appeal Court concerning the leadership of the SDP and Prof. Gombe, restoring the authority of the Gombe-led NWC.
The court held that the Appeal Court ought not to have disturbed the judgment of the Federal High Court delivered on January 19, 2026, and consequently struck out the suit ab initio for lack of locus standi.
Reacting to the judgment, the SDP described the ruling as a final resolution of the leadership crisis that had rocked the party in recent months.
The party said the judgment effectively ended what it termed “the shenanigans of Gabam and his co-travellers,” adding that it also validated the decisions reached at the SDP National Convention held in Bauchi on May 9, 2026.
The statement added that the judgment had strengthened the party ahead of the 2027 general elections and positioned it to pursue its programmes without distractions.
The SDP also commended the Supreme Court justices for what it described as their courage and independence in delivering the judgment.
The party reaffirmed its commitment to promoting social democracy and its “people-centred politics,” while expressing confidence in the leadership of its 2027 presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo.
