Oluwatosin Ogunkolade
The leadership crisis rocking the Social Democratic Party worsened on Monday as the party’s factional National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Gombe, insisted that the expulsion of former chairman, Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam, remains valid and binding.
Gombe spoke after a closed-door meeting between party leaders and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abuja, convened as part of efforts to resolve the lingering dispute within the opposition party.
The SDP chairman said the party attended the meeting out of respect for INEC and in response to the commission’s invitation for alternative dispute resolution.
According to him, 11 members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), alongside key stakeholders, participated in the engagement with the electoral umpire.
Gombe maintained that the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), at a meeting held on March 9, 2026, validly ratified the appointments of the current NWC members and approved the suspension and expulsion of Gabam.
He added that the NEC meeting was duly communicated to INEC and monitored by officials of the commission, with certified true copies of the proceedings submitted accordingly.
“We are here because of the respect we have for INEC and to honour its invitation for alternative dispute resolution, but we made it categorically clear that the SDP, as an institution, has the constitutional authority to manage its internal affairs,” he said.
Gombe said the disciplinary actions against Gabam followed allegations bordering on corruption, mismanagement, criminal breach of the party constitution and violations of the Electoral Act.
He argued that under Article 19(C) of the party’s constitution, any disciplined member has five working days to challenge sanctions through the party’s internal mechanisms.
According to him, Gabam neither appealed internally nor approached any competent court within the stipulated period to contest his suspension and eventual expulsion.
“From the day the NEC ratified his expulsion, he ceased to be a member of the party. He did not exhaust the internal mechanisms provided by the constitution of the SDP,” he stated.
The SDP has in recent months been embroiled in a bitter leadership tussle, with rival factions laying claim to the party’s authentic leadership ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The crisis intensified following allegations of financial mismanagement and constitutional breaches levelled against Gabam by some party stakeholders, leading to moves for his suspension and eventual expulsion.
However, loyalists of the former chairman have continued to challenge the legitimacy of the process, insisting due process was not followed.
On the legal dispute surrounding the crisis, Gombe clarified that the matter before the Supreme Court originated from a suit filed by an SDP governorship aspirant in Ekiti State and not from issues relating to the party’s national leadership.
He further insisted that no court order could override resolutions reached by the NEC and ratified at the party’s convention on matters relating strictly to internal administration.
“The NEC is the administrative organ responsible for the day-to-day running of the party, and its decisions on party affairs remain binding,” he added.
Gombe also faulted suggestions that leadership recognition could be determined through the INEC portal, insisting political parties retain exclusive constitutional powers over internal administration and leadership selection.
While expressing satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting, he described discussions with INEC officials as fruitful and constructive.
He, however, expressed surprise over claims allegedly made by the INEC chairman that some correspondences relating to suspensions, expulsions and internal decisions were not communicated to the commission.
“We have duly acknowledged copies of all correspondences submitted to INEC, and these documents were again presented during the meeting,” he said.
The SDP chairman added that the party had successfully conducted its national convention and presidential primary ahead of the 2027 elections in compliance with the Electoral Act and the Nigerian Constitution.
He reaffirmed the party’s commitment to credible democratic processes and urged INEC to remain transparent and impartial in the build-up to the next general elections.
