A’Court nullifies Gabam’s recognition as SDP chair

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned a Federal High Court decision that recognized Shehu Gabam as the national chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The three-judge panel, consisting of Justices Fadawu Umaru, M.S. Hassan, and L.A. Ganiyu, unanimously ruled the lower court's decision invalid. The appeal was brought by the SDP leadership, led by Prof Abubakar Gombe, who contested the Federal High Court's ruling.

The appellate court held that the Federal High Court's decision was based on faulty grounds, citing a previous Supreme Court ruling in favor of Gombe's leadership. SDP presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo, representing the appellants, stated that the court unanimously ruled in favor of the party in all six applications under consideration.

The appellate court also confirmed Dr. Francis Ajala as the SDP governorship candidate for Osun State, as the Federal High Court had erred by accepting the suit challenging Ajala's nomination. Adebayo praised the judiciary for resolving the dispute and guiding the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). SDP National Chairman Prof Gombe commended the judiciary for the swift resolution of the case, urging INEC to respect the internal matters of all registered political parties, particularly their decisions on candidate selection.

The PUNCH correspondent covered politics, health, metro, entertainment, and properties for over 20 years.