Leaders of the Social Democratic Party loyal to Professor Abubakar Sadiq Gombe on Friday welcomed the Supreme Court judgment delivered on May 22, declaring that the ruling had finally vindicated the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and invalidated previous pronouncements concerning the party’s leadership crisis.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, SDP National Chairman, Professor Abubakar Sadiq Gombe, alongside former National Secretary Olu Agunloye and Senator Ugochukwu Uba, said the apex court judgment confirmed that issues relating to the internal affairs of political parties remain outside external interference and must be resolved according to party constitutions.

Gombe insisted that contrary to claims circulating online, the Supreme Court did not restore Shehu Musa Gabam as SDP national chairman.

“We represented the party physically at the Supreme Court. We have already applied for the Certified True Copy of the judgment. Journalists also have the liberty to obtain the judgment themselves and confirm what transpired,” Gombe said.

He maintained that the ruling effectively set aside all pronouncements earlier made by the Court of Appeal regarding SDP leadership issues.

“I don’t want to rely on social media speculation. I have provided you with an official document duly signed, and you can verify it at the Supreme Court yourselves,” he added.

According to the SDP chairman, the apex court reaffirmed the authority of the party’s organs, including the National Executive Committee (NEC), which ratified Gabam’s expulsion after disciplinary proceedings.

“The NEC, which is the highest organ of the party after convention, ratified his expulsion. He was suspended, investigated, 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 further argued that the judgment strengthened the position that political parties retain the constitutional right to manage their internal affairs.

“The Supreme Court has again made it clear that issues concerning internal party affairs are within the jurisdiction of the party. We are simply following our constitution and due process,” he said.

Gombe also expressed confidence that the Independent National Electoral Commission would eventually comply with the party’s position by recognising the decisions taken against Gabam.

“When the Supreme Court made pronouncements in the ADC matter, INEC immediately complied the same night 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.

Reacting to reports of a rival convention held at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja, where Gombe and others were reportedly suspended, the SDP chairman dismissed the exercise as illegitimate.

“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 Bauchi convention organised by his faction, describing it as lawful and compliant with the Electoral Act.

“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.

Speaking separately, Agunloye faulted INEC’s handling of the crisis, alleging that documents submitted to the commission regarding Gabam’s suspension and expulsion were ignored.

“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,” Agunloye said.

He insisted that the issue should not be interpreted as a factional battle for control of the party.

“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 stated.

Senator Ugochukwu Uba also backed the judgment, saying it reinforced the principle that political parties must be allowed to enforce discipline internally without outside interference.

“This is an institutional matter. Political parties must be allowed to enforce discipline within their structures without interference,” Uba said.

The Supreme Court judgment arose from six appeals heard on May 12, 2026, including Fayemi Tosin Babatunde vs INEC & 4 Ors (SC/CV/229/2026), in which the apex court reportedly ruled that the plaintiffs lacked locus standi, thereby nullifying earlier appellate pronouncements touching on the SDP leadership dispute.