General News
SDP Leadership Crisis: Supreme Court Did Not Rule on Chairmanship, Leaders Insist
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the leadership crisis in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) may not be over, as party leaders loyal to Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam have insisted that the Supreme Court did not make any pronouncement determining the leadership of the party during its recent proceedings.
The leaders dismissed reports suggesting that the apex court had affirmed either faction involved in the leadership dispute.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by the Bauchi State Chairman of the SDP, Alhaji Nasiru Dan Bauchi, on behalf of the party leaders, they said the proceedings before the Supreme Court were connected to the Osun State governorship election and the legal disputes surrounding the party’s participation in the election.
According to the leaders, the appeal had become academic following the conduct of the election and was subsequently withdrawn. They stressed that an appeal becoming academic was not the same as the court determining the substantive issues in the case.
The party leaders maintained that the Supreme Court did not pronounce on the substantive leadership dispute between Gabam and the faction led by Prof. Abubakar Umar Sadiq Gombe.
They urged party members, journalists and the general public to disregard interpretations of the proceedings suggesting that the apex court had declared Gombe the National Chairman of the party.
The leaders also said statements made by lawyers or representatives of either side should not be presented as the judgment of the Supreme Court.
They argued that the only authoritative way to establish exactly what the court decided was to obtain and examine the Certified True Copy of the judgment.
They further stressed that the Gabam-led leadership did not institute the original case but became involved in the proceedings subsequently, adding that the history of the litigation was important to understanding the issues that eventually came before the apex court.
The statement urged journalists reporting the matter to examine the actual issues before the court, what the court determined, the orders it made and, importantly, what issues it did not determine.
The party leaders called for calm among SDP members, candidates and supporters, saying the matter should be allowed to follow due process pending the release of the Certified True Copy of the judgment.
They also appealed to the media to hear both sides and avoid relying solely on headlines, social media posts or statements issued by one faction when reporting the Supreme Court proceedings.
The position was also supported by Barr. Chuks Uguru, counsel to the appellant, who argued that the Supreme Court did not rule on the leadership of the SDP but on the matter relating to the Osun State governorship election.
Speaking on the development, the counsel maintained that the proceedings before the apex court should not be interpreted as a pronouncement on the party’s leadership, reinforcing the position that the Osun election matter should be distinguished from the separate leadership dispute within the SDP.
He said the clarification was necessary because different interpretations of the Supreme Court proceedings had created confusion among party members and the general public.
The counsel urged party members and the public to remain calm and allow the law to take its course, saying the Certified True Copy of the judgment would provide the definitive basis for determining what the Supreme Court actually decided.