Supreme Court Dismisses Gabam’s Appeal, Affirms Gombe as SDP Chairman

The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal filed by Shehu Gabam challenging the judgment of the Court of Appeal which upheld the leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) under Prof. Abubakar Sadiq Gombe.

The judgment, delivered Wednesday by a five-member panel comprising Justices Adamu Jauro, Haruna Tsammani, A.A. Adumein, Jonah Adah and Joseph Oyewole, effectively leaves the Gombe-led leadership in place.

The lead judgment was delivered by Justice Jauro, who held that the appeal had become irrelevant and accordingly dismissed it.

The development followed the August judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which set aside the Federal High Court judgment that had recognised Gabam as the SDP national chairman. The appellate court declared the Federal High Court decision in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/402/2026 null and void.

Reacting to the Supreme Court decision, SDP presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, said the appeal had no legal life.

He said the justices had asked the plaintiffs to withdraw the appeal and apologise, adding that the judgment had brought the party’s prolonged leadership dispute to an end.

“Supreme Court said that there is no life in the case and dismissed the case. That is the end of Shehu Gabam. There is nothing about the SDP leadership crisis coming up again,” he said.

Adebayo also disclosed that the SDP had two other matters before the Supreme Court, including a case against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the commission’s modified timetable for the 2027 presidential election.

He said the party approached the court not merely because of the timetable but to seek limits on what it described as INEC’s abuse of its powers.

According to him, INEC’s responsibility was to serve democracy and comply with the law rather than create obstacles for opposition parties.

“The reason we brought the case to court is not because we particularly, SDP, [are concerned] with the 2027 election modified timetable. It is to limit the abuse of the electoral process by INEC. INEC’s job is to be a servant of democracy and to follow the law as stated,” he said.

Also reacting, SDP National Chairman, Prof. Gombe, hailed the Supreme Court for what he described as its commitment to democracy.

The latest development follows the Supreme Court’s May 22, 2026 judgment, which set aside an earlier Court of Appeal decision that had formed the basis for INEC’s recognition of Gabam and restored the Gombe-led party leadership.