Supreme Court has restored Gabam’s leadership — SDP

The leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on Friday said that the Supreme Court judgment on the party’s leadership dispute had restored Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam as the substantive National Chairman of the party.

Gabam said this when he addressed newsmen from a statement signed by the party’s National Legal Adviser, Muka’ila Yahaya Mavo.

He explained the apex court “unequivocally held that the Appellant was not an aspirant and lacked the legal competence to institute the action”.

The party further that that the Supreme Court affirmed “the settled position of law that Courts lack jurisdiction to interfere in the internal leadership affairs of a political party”>

According to Gabam, by dismissing and setting aside the decisions of the Federal High Court in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2497/26 and the Court of Appeal in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/CS/127/26, the apex court had “effectively extinguished every judicial foundation upon which the rival faction sought to challenge the leadership of the SDP under the National Chairmanship of Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam”.

The party recalled that before the now-nullified Federal High Court judgment, Gabam had been duly recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission as National Chairman of the SDP.

He added that following the Federal High Court judgment, INEC temporarily altered its records in obedience to a subsisting court order, but later restored Gabam’s name after the decision of the Court of Appeal.

According to him: “Now that the Supreme Court has dismissed and nullified the decisions relied upon by the opposing faction, the inevitable legal consequence is that the status quo ante remains fully restored. In law, one cannot place something on nothing and expect it to stand.”

The SDP added that “the purported claims of legitimacy being advanced by the Sadiq faction have completely collapsed with the fall of the judgments upon which they depended”.

The party said the Supreme Court had “spoken with finality,” stressing that the implication of the judgment was “clear and unambiguous”.

It listed the implications to include that “the issue of SDP leadership was never justiciable before the lower courts,” and that “the judgments previously relied upon against the leadership of Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam no longer possess any legal force or validity.”

The SDP further maintained that “the lawful and constitutionally recognised leadership of the SDP remains the National Working Committee led by Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam as National Chairman.”

The party urged members, stakeholders, supporters and the general public to disregard what it described as “desperate propaganda and misinformation currently being circulated by individuals seeking to create confusion after suffering a total legal defeat at the Supreme Court.”

It stated that the party remained “united, focused, and committed to deepening democracy and providing credible political leadership for Nigerians.”

The SDP also called on INEC and other relevant institutions to continue to recognise and relate with the leadership of Gabam “in accordance with the Constitution of the Party and the final judgment of the Supreme Court.”

It added: “The era of needless distraction and factional misinformation is over. 

“The judgment of the Supreme Court has restored constitutional order, party supremacy, and legal certainty within the Social Democratic Party.”