Court of Appeal sets aside judgment recognising Shehu Gabam as SDP chairman

On Wednesday, the Court of Appeal in Abuja overturned the Federal High Court's decision that recognized Shehu Gabam as the National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). A three-judge panel consisting of Justices Fadawu Umaru, M.S. Hassan, and L.A. Ganiyu unanimously declared the lower court's ruling null and void. The appeal was initiated by SDP leadership under Prof Abubakar Sadiq Gombe, who contested the Federal High Court's decision.

The Court of Appeal stated that the judgment was flawed because the Supreme Court had already ruled in favor of Gombe's leadership. SDP presidential candidate Prince Adewole Adebayo expressed relief at the unanimous ruling in favor of the party on all six applications. He also affirmed that the Court of Appeal ruled against the Federal High Court's decision recognizing Gabam as National Chairman and Acting National Secretary.

Adebayo hailed the judiciary's role in resolving the dispute and providing guidance to INEC, stating that the leadership dispute in the SDP is now resolved for at least the next 100 years. SDP National Chairman Prof. Gombe praised the judiciary for expediting the resolution of the case and thanked the judiciary, INEC, and the media for their cooperation.

Gombe urged INEC to respect the internal affairs of all registered political parties, including the SDP, and called for Nigeria's democracy to serve as a model for other African nations.