The Supreme Court has endorsed Abubakar Gombe as National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) ahead of the 2027 general election.
Justice Adamu Jauro gave the injunction at the apex court,after dismissing an appeal by Shehu Gabam who had challenged the Court of Appeal decision that nullified a Federal High Court judgment recognising him as the party’s national chairman.
Jauro found Gabam’s submission irrelevant during the Wednesday sitting, in Abuja after a five-member panel led by himself alongside Justices Haruna Tsammani, Jonah Adah and Joseph Oyewole, and noting that the appeal had become academic.
Reacting to the judgment, SDP presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, said the decision had brought the latest legal challenge to the party’s leadership to an end.
Adebayo said the court found no live issue in Gabam’s case, adding that the ruling removed the basis for further litigation over the leadership dispute.
He mentioned that the SDP had also taken legal action against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over aspects of the 2027 election timetable, arguing that the case was intended to ensure that the commission operates within its legal mandate.
According to him, the party’s concern was not specifically the timetable but what he described as the need to prevent the electoral process from being used in a way that could restrict opposition parties.
The SDP leadership under Gombe also welcomed the Supreme Court decision, with the party hailing the judiciary for upholding what it described as democratic principles.
The latest ruling follows an August decision by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which set aside the Federal High Court judgment that had recognised Gabam as national chairman and declared the lower court’s decision null and void.