The Court of Appeal in Abuja has set aside a Federal High Court ruling that had supported the expelled former National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Shehu Gabam, effectively ending the party's prolonged leadership dispute. A three-member panel of the appellate court ruled unanimously on six applications, also upholding the party's position on its governorship candidate for the Osun State election.
Federal High Court Ruling Declared a Nullity
SDP presidential candidate Prince Adewole Adebayo told journalists after the ruling that the appellate court found the earlier Federal High Court judgment recognising Gabam and another former member as acting National Secretary to be a nullity. According to Adebayo, that lower court decision directly contradicted a Supreme Court ruling handed down on May 22, 2026, and could therefore not stand.
The panel comprised Justice Muslim Sule Hassan, Justice Lateef Adebayo Ganiyu, and Justice Fadawu Umaru. Adebayo added that the Court of Appeal also found that the Federal High Court had no business entertaining a suit that challenged the SDP's nomination of Dr Francis Ajala as its governorship candidate for the Osun election, saying the party's internal candidate-selection process was not a matter for that court to interrogate.
INEC Urged to Respect Party Decisions
Adebayo described the outcome as a win not just for the SDP but for Nigerian democracy, noting that the party had spent months defending its leadership decisions through multiple rounds of litigation, which he called its "third missionary journey to the judiciary." He disclosed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had already begun steps to reprint ballot papers to include the SDP's candidate.
While welcoming that development, he accused the commission of dragging its feet, which he said denied the party adequate time to campaign, take part in debates, and reach voters. He warned INEC against allowing outside pressure to shape how it handles the SDP's affairs, urging the commission to honour decisions that political parties make within their own structures.
SDP Chairman Commends Judiciary
SDP National Chairman Prof. Abubakar Sadiq Gombe echoed those concerns, arguing that the judgment carried significance beyond the party itself. He praised the judiciary for handling the matter swiftly and paid tribute to Adebayo for leading the party's legal team through the process. Gombe said INEC must treat all registered political parties with equal respect and refrain from meddling in their internal decisions on leadership or candidate selection.
With the legal battles behind it, Adebayo said the SDP would now direct its energy towards the 2027 general elections and its campaign against what he described as the "calamitous government" of President Bola Tinubu.
