The leadership crisis rocking the Social Democratic Party (SDP) took a dramatic turn on Friday as the Supreme Court nullified the Court of Appeal judgment that had been used by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Shehu Gabam as the National Chairman of the party.

In a unanimous judgment delivered in suit SC/CV/229/2026 on May 22, 2026, delivered by Justice Garba, the Supreme Court set aside the earlier decision of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, effectively dismantling the legal foundation upon which INEC based its recognition of Gabam-led leadership within the party.

The ruling marks the latest twist in the prolonged internal battle over the control of the SDP and disputes surrounding the conduct of party primaries, especially the Ekiti State governorship primary election.

The controversy originated from appeal CA/ABJ/CV/126/2026, filed by SDP member Fayemi Babatunde, who challenged the legality of the Ekiti governorship primary election conducted by the party leadership.

Babatunde argued that the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Dr. Sadiq Gombe was unlawfully constituted in violation of the SDP constitution and provisions of the Electoral Act, insisting that the leadership lacked the authority to appoint an electoral committee or conduct valid primaries.

He also asked the court to restrain INEC from recognising candidates that emerged from the disputed process.

Earlier, on January 19, 2026, the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, dismissed the suit and upheld the legality of the Gombe-led leadership as well as the party’s processes.

However, the Court of Appeal, in a judgment delivered on March 27, 2026, partly overturned the lower court’s decision.
The three-member appellate panel led by Justice Eberechi Nyesom-Wike, with Justices Abba Mohammed and Oyejoju Oyewumi concurring, ruled that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to make definitive pronouncements on the SDP leadership tussle.

“The appeal succeeds in part,” the appellate court had declared, while maintaining that Babatunde was not an aspirant in the disputed primary election.

The Appeal Court subsequently nullified portions of the Federal High Court judgment that recognised Gombe as the authentic SDP chairman and also voided the validation of the November 8, 2025, Ekiti governorship primary.

Despite that decision, the appellate court relied on INEC’s monitoring report, marked as Exhibit INEC 3, which confirmed that the primary election was conducted with valid delegates and produced Mr. Bankole Oludele as winner.

Following the appellate court’s ruling, INEC updated its official records in April, listing Shehu Gabam as SDP National Chairman and Olu Agunloye as National Secretary.

Other members of the National Working Committee displayed by the commission included Hajia Maggie Mariam as National Treasurer and Aderemi Abimbola as National Legal Adviser, with several positions marked “By Court Order.”

But with Friday’s Supreme Court judgment setting aside the appellate court’s decision entirely, the legal basis for INEC’s recognition of the Gabam-led leadership has now been effectively erased, effectively putting the structure of the party to where it belongs-Abubakar Gombe leadership.

Meanwhile, leaders of the party loyal to Professor Abubakar Sadiq Gombe have welcomed the judgment, declaring that it has 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, Gombe, alongside former National Secretary, Olu Agunloye, and Senator Ugochukwu Uba, said the Supreme 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 Gabam as SDP national chairman.

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 Supreme 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 noted 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.