- Court Awards N2 Million Cost Against INEC In Favour of The SDP
Expectedly, the end has finally come to the shenanigans of the expelled former national chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam, as well as his cohorts and institutional conspirators who have been hands in glove playing ignoble games and severally compromised the system and undermined the interest of the party since his expulsion on June 24, 2025.
The Supreme Court has finally incapacitated the former Chairman by validating the authority and legality of the constitutional action of the National Working Committee of May 25, 2025, and June 24, 2015 respectively, in the exercise of its exclusive constitutional powers in suspended and consequently expelled the former Chairman, and appointed Dr. Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe, as Acting National Chairman, also reinforced the position of Dr. Olu Agunloye, as National Secretary. There is, therefore, no more distractions.
The apex court made the definitive judicial pronouncement on Thursday, December 19, 2025, in a unanimous ruling by a 3-member panel of Justices, which was led by His Lordship, Honoirable Justice Mohammed Idris, on the appeal filed by INEC against the earlier rulling of the Court of Appeal on the matter, which bordered on the authority of the signatures of Dr. Sadid Umar Abubakar Gombe as Acting National Chairman, and Dr. Olu Agunloye, as National Secretary.
INEC filed an appeal at the Supreme Court on the October 17, 2025 against the ruling of the Court Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, which had earlier affirmed the judicial action of a 3-member panel led by Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which ruled in favour of the SDP in August 2025 in a suit FHC/Abj/CS/1525/2025, which was instituted by the party, challenging the refusal of INEC to recognise and publish the names of candidates of the party who emerged from the primaries it conducted for the bye-elections in 12 states, and which were monitored by the Commission.
INEC refused to recognise the nomination of the candidates of the SDP for the bye-elections on the grounds that the letter of nomination submitted to the Commission was signed by the Acting National Chairman, Dr.Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe, who “was not known” to the Commission, and Dr. Olu Agunloye, as National Secretary, but it had to comply with the ruling of the Federal High Court on the matter and listed the candidates of the party in the bye-elections.
In the ruling of the Supreme Court on Thursday December19, 2025, the lead Justice ruled that the court “found no justification to dislodge the concurrent findings of the two lower courts – the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal” on the matter.
The appeal by INEC was consequently dismissed for lacking merit and awarded a cost of two million naira (N2,000,000.00) against the lawyer of the commission, which is to be paid to the SDP.
This definitive ruling of the Supreme Court, has clearly established that INEC, as the electoral umpire and regulatory body with oversight responsibility over political parties, has no arbitrary powers, and that the authority, and that validity of the appointment of Dr.Sadid Umar Abubakar Gombe as Acting National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has been affirmed, and has also reinforced the autonomy of political parties in determining their leadership through internal arrangements in accordance with their constitutions and the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The import of the Supreme Court judgment is that INEC has no powers, whatsoever, to meddle in the internal affairs of political parties, and the commission can not in any way determine or dictate the leadership arrangements and operations of Nigerian political parties to suit its whim.
This judicial victory earned by the SDP is a victory for democracy and is worthy of national commendation. It needs to be celebrated by all true democrats and Nigerian patriots, because the Party has once again, made remarkable contributions to the nation’s political jurisprudence, and helped in further pushing the frontiers of the essential culture of constitutional democracy, towards democratic consolidation and sustainable national development.
Going by this particularly positive development of the rulling of the Supreme Court on the autonomy of political parties, which is clearly unambiguous, it is highly expected that INEC, under the leadership of the new Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, a renowned scholar and professor of law, whom the party has expressed great confidence in by publicly acknowledging and commending him when he was appointed, as a legacy-conscious man of integrity who respects the rule of law, will be guided by the content of the judgement, and expeditiously direct the needed action for the Commission to formally recognise and accept the action of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party which was done in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Party in the removal on June 24, 2025, of Ahaji Shehu Musa Gabam from his position as National Chairman, and his consequent expulsion, and to accept Dr. Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe as the Acting National Chairman, and reflect his name in that capacity in the records of the Commission, with Dr. Olu Agunloye as the National Secretary, along with the other members of the National Working Committee members who constitute the national leadership of the SDP.
Having gotten over legally and moved past the encumbrances of the ignoble shenanigans of the former National Chairman and his institutional accomplices, the national leadership of the party, under the Dr. Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe as Acting National Chairman, and Dr. Olu Agunloye, as National Secretary, is poised to get focused on suatainable growth of the SDP in the new year, and to get earnestly unleashed, the positive energies of the Party towards strengthening its structures and operations at both the national and sub-national levels ahead of the next general elections.
This exciting Supreme Court judgment which has comprehensively put an end to all the conspiracies of the establishment against the SDP, elicited wide jubilation in the fold of the national of the SDP, and has been widely celebrated across the nation by party members, stakeholders, its lovers, and admirers, and political observers, because the development is considered as remarkable milestone in our democratic journey as a nation, particularly in this current political milleu.
All members of the Party across the country are hereby assured that the SDP, as the truly credible alternative political party, is now reinvigorated and well-positioned, more than before, for the task of national redemption and is ready to take its pride of place as the consensus platform that Nigerians repose their trust in ahead of 2027.
The Acting National Chairman, Dr. Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe and the National Working Committee (NWC) are focused and remian committed to moving the party forward. Members of the party and Nigerians are to look forward to a new dawn. Starting from the beginning of the new year, they will experience far-reaching transformative changes in the Party. There would be a recalibration of the party, enhanced, robust political engagements, vibrant activities, and operations of a reloaled SDP that is set to make remarkable impact in the nation’s polity.
– Araba Rufus Aiyenigba
National Publicity Secretary, SDP
