The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal filed by Shehu Gabam in the long-running leadership dispute within the Social Democratic Party (SDP), leaving Prof. Abubakar Sadiq Gombe as the party’s National Chairman.
A five-member panel, headed by Justice Adamu Jauro, reached the decision on Wednesday after considering the appeal.
Other members of the panel were Justices Haruna Tsammani, A.A. Adumein, Jonah Adah and Joseph Oyewole.
The court dismissed the case after finding that it had become irrelevant, effectively ending Gabam’s latest legal challenge over the leadership of the party.
SDP presidential candidate and lawyer to the party, Prince Adewole Adebayo, said the ruling settled the issue and left no basis for another leadership dispute involving Gabam.
“The Supreme Court said that there is no life in the case and dismissed the case. That is the end of Shehu Gabam. There is nothing about the SDP leadership crisis coming up again,” Adebayo said.
He explained that Gabam was no longer a member of the party and had not personally challenged his removal. According to Adebayo, the case that eventually reached the Supreme Court originated from an action brought by another SDP member seeking recognition for Gabam.
The lawyer said the SDP had challenged the earlier Federal High Court decision at the Court of Appeal, where the party succeeded in having the judgment set aside.
“We argued the case that the Court of Appeal should correct that judge, and the Court of Appeal set aside the judgment,” he said.
Adebayo disclosed that two other cases involving the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are still before the Supreme Court. He said the cases relate largely to INEC’s timetable for political parties, including the time allowed for candidate nomination and substitution.
He rejected suggestions that the SDP went to court because it was struggling to meet the commission’s deadlines, saying the party’s objective was to clarify the legal limits of INEC’s authority.
“The reason we brought the case to court is not that we, particularly SDP, are not able to cope with the timetable. It is to limit the abuse of the electoral process by INEC,” Adebayo said.
He insisted that the electoral commission must operate within the powers granted to it by law.
Gombe, whose position as National Chairman was effectively affirmed by Wednesday’s ruling, also welcomed the decision. He described it as an important development not only for the SDP but for the democratic process.
“This is a victory not only for the SDP, but a victory for democracy,” Gombe said.
He said the party’s involvement in court cases should not be interpreted as merely an attempt to protect its internal interests.
“Whenever you see the SDP in any of the courts, either the Federal, the Court of Appeal, or here (apex court), we are always here in defence of democracy, not just in defence of SDP as a party,” he said.
The Supreme Court’s latest decision is one of several electoral matters currently before the apex court as political parties prepare for the 2027 elections.
Earlier on Wednesday, the court reserved judgment in a separate case involving the Zenith Labour Party and INEC over provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 dealing with party membership registers and the conduct of primaries.
That dispute followed a Court of Appeal judgment which voided Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the new Electoral Act after the Federal High Court had initially dismissed the ZLP’s case. INEC subsequently appealed the decision to the Supreme Court.
Another leadership dispute involving the African Democratic Congress is also pending before the Federal High Court in Abuja. ADC member Nafiu-Bala Gombe is challenging the process through which former Senate President David Mark and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola emerged as leaders of the party.
That case has been adjourned until September 28. The dispute had also reached the Supreme Court, which in April set aside a Court of Appeal order requiring the parties to maintain the status quo and directed that the substantive case before the Federal High Court should continue.
Following the Supreme Court decision, INEC restored Mark and Aregbesola to its records as the ADC’s National Chairman and National Secretary.
