The leadership crisis rocking the Social Democratic Party took a dramatic turn on Friday as the Supreme Court nullified the Court of Appeal judgment that had formed the basis for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognition of Shehu Gabam as National Chairman of the party.
In a unanimous judgment delivered in suit number SC/CV/229/2026 on May 22, 2026, the apex court set aside the earlier ruling of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, effectively dismantling the legal foundation upon which INEC recognised the Gabam-led leadership within the SDP.
The controversy originated from an appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/126/2026 filed by a member of the SDP, 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.
He insisted that the leadership lacked the authority to appoint an electoral committee or conduct valid primaries.
He also sought an order restraining 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, alongside Justices Abba Mohammed and Oyejoju Oyewumi, 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 ruled, 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 Dr Sadiq Gombe as the authentic SDP chairman and also voided the validation of the November 8, 2025, Ekiti governorship primary.
Despite the appellate court’s decision, the 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 the winner.
Following the 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 INEC included Hajia Maggie Mariam as National Treasurer and Aderemi Abimbola as National Legal Adviser.
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