{
  "id": 711958,
  "title": "A’Court nullifies Gabam’s recognition as SDP chair",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/acourt-nullifies-gabams-recognition-as-sdp-chair",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-12T23:56:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/acourt-nullifies-gabams-recognition-as-sdp-chair/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned the Federal High Court's decision recognizing Shehu Gabam as the national chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). A unanimous three-judge panel, consisting of Justices Fadawu Umaru, M.S. Hassan, and L.A. Ganiyu, declared the lower court's ruling null and void. The decision followed an appeal by SDP leadership under Prof. Abubakar Gombe against the Federal High Court's recognition of Gabam. The Court of Appeal held that the Federal High Court's judgment was based on faulty reasoning, pointing out that the Supreme Court had previously ruled in favor of Gombe's leadership. Adewole Adebayo, SDP presidential candidate and counsel for the appellants, confirmed that the appellate court unanimously ruled in favor of the party on all six applications considered. The Federal High Court's mistake was attributed to entertaining a suit challenging Dr. Francis Ajala's nomination as the SDP governorship candidate for Osun State. Adebayo praised the judiciary for resolving the prolonged legal dispute and commended them for providing clarity to the Independent National Electoral Commission. Gombe, the SDP National Chairman, also expressed gratitude to the judiciary for the swift resolution of the case and urged INEC to respect the internal affairs of all registered political parties.",
  "summary": "The Appeal Court in Abuja has nullified Shehu Gabam’s recognition as SDP national chairman, affirming Prof. Gombe’s leadership. Get the full details on the Read More: https://punchng.com/acourt-nullifies-gabams-recognition-as-sdp-chair/",
  "key_points": [
    "Court of Appeal overturns Federal High Court decision on SDP chair",
    "Gabam's recognition declared null and void by unanimous judges",
    "Decision based on Supreme Court ruling in favor of Gombe"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The Court of Appeal's ruling upholds Prof. Abubakar Gombe's leadership of the SDP, ending a prolonged legal dispute and providing clarity for the Independent National Electoral Commission.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "A’Court nullifies Gabam’s recognition as SDP chair",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/acourt-nullifies-gabams-recognition-as-sdp-chair",
        "published": "2026-08-13T00:16:52.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}