Nigeria’s Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal brought by Shehu Gabam over the leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), affirming Prof. Abubakar Sadiq Gombe as the party’s legitimate National Chairman.
A five-member panel of justices, led by Justice Adamu Jauro, dismissed the appeal on Wednesday on the grounds that it was academic and lacked legal substance, bringing an end to a prolonged leadership dispute that had traversed the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal.
Reacting to the judgment, SDP presidential candidate and legal counsel Prince Adewole Adebayo stated that the ruling formally closes Mr. Gabam’s claims to the party’s chairmanship.
“The Supreme Court said that there is no life in the case and dismissed the case,” Mr Adebayo said. “That is the end of Shehu Gabam. There is nothing about the SDP leadership crisis coming up again.”
Welcoming the verdict, Prof. Gombe declared the judgment a victory for democratic governance, stating, “Whenever you see the SDP in any of the courts… we are always here in defence of democracy, not just in defence of SDP as a party.”
The judgment enables the SDP to consolidate its national executive structure ahead of the 2027 general elections. However, two separate suits filed by the party against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) remain pending before the apex court, challenging the electoral body’s candidate nomination and substitution timelines.
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