By The Supreme Court has sacked the leadership of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, under the chairmanship of Shehu Gaban.
The Supreme Court judgment has effectively nullified the appellate ruling upon which INEC based the recognition of the party’s leadership structure, setting the stage for another round of political and legal uncertainty within the SDP, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The crisis rocking the SDP and the legal battles surrounding the conduct and validity of the party’s governorship primaries, particularly, the Ekiti State governorship primary election.
The controversy originated from a suit filed by SDP member, Fayemi Babatunde, who challenged the legality of the Ekiti governorship primary conducted under the leadership of the party’s National Working Committee, led by Dr. Sadiq Gombe.
Babatunde argued that the leadership structure that organised the exercise was unlawfully constituted, in breach of both the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act, insisting that the leadership lacked the legal authority to constitute an electoral committee or conduct valid primaries.
He further sought an order restraining INEC from recognising candidates that emerged from the disputed process.
Earlier, the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided by Justice Emeka Nwite, had on January 19, 2026, dismissed the suit and upheld the legitimacy of the Gombe-led leadership and the party’s processes.
However, the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, in judgment CA/ABJ/CV/126/2026 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, held that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to make conclusive pronouncements on the SDP’s internal leadership dispute.
The Court of Appeal, subsequently, voided portions of the Federal High Court judgment that recognised Dr. Sadiq Gombe as the authentic national chairman of the party and also set aside the validation of the November 8, 2025 governorship primary election.
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