SDP insists INEC has no authority to dictate or impose party leadership after Gabam’s expulsion.

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has stated that its former National Chairman, Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam, is no longer a member of the party, maintaining that his suspension and eventual expulsion were properly ratified by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and convention in accordance with the party constitution and the Electoral Act.

Speaking to journalists after a closed-door meeting with the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, in Abuja, the party’s National Chairman, Professor Sadiq Gombe, said the SDP attended the meeting out of respect for the electoral body but stressed that INEC has no authority to interfere in the internal affairs of the party.
Professor Gombe explained that 11 members of the party’s 15-member National Working Committee (NWC), along with other major stakeholders, participated in the meeting and submitted documents supporting the decisions taken against Gabam.
According to him, the SDP responded to INEC’s invitation for alternative dispute resolution while making it clear that the party remains fully responsible for managing its internal matters.
The party stated that the NEC meeting held on March 9, 2026, at Newtown Park Hotel and Resort lawfully approved the appointments of the current NWC members and ratified Gabam’s suspension and expulsion over allegations bordering on corruption, mismanagement, criminal breach of the party constitution, and violations of the Electoral Act.
Professor Gombe noted that the NEC meeting was officially communicated to INEC, monitored by officials of the commission, and supported with certified true copies of the proceedings already submitted to the electoral body.
He further explained that Article 19(C) of the SDP constitution provides five working days for any disciplined member to appeal through the party’s internal mechanisms. However, he said Gabam neither explored the internal appeal process nor challenged the decision in court within the stipulated period.
The party maintained that from the date the NEC ratified the expulsion, Gabam automatically ceased to be a member of the SDP because he failed to make use of the available internal appeal channels or seek legal redress before a competent court.
Professor Gombe also dismissed suggestions that any court order could overturn decisions ratified by the NEC and the party convention, insisting that party organs remain supreme in matters relating to internal administration.
According to him, the NEC is the administrative body responsible for the daily running of the party, and its decisions are binding, adding that no external institution has the power to impose leadership on the SDP.
Addressing the legal matter currently before the Supreme Court, Professor Gombe clarified that the case stemmed from a dispute involving an SDP governorship aspirant in Ekiti State and was unrelated to the party’s national leadership crisis.
The SDP also rejected attempts to use the INEC portal as a basis for determining party leadership, insisting that the electoral commission lacks the constitutional authority to impose or recognise leaders outside decisions validly reached by the party’s recognised organs.
The party further expressed surprise over claims allegedly made by the INEC Chairman that some correspondences relating to suspensions, expulsions, and internal resolutions were not submitted to the commission.
Professor Gombe said the SDP has acknowledged copies of every communication sent to INEC and that all relevant documents were again presented during the meeting.
The party used the opportunity to highlight its commitment to due process, noting that it had already conducted its national convention and presidential primary ahead of the 2027 elections in compliance with the Electoral Act and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He added that both the convention and presidential primary were conducted transparently and broadcast live for Nigerians and the international community to follow.
Reaffirming the party’s commitment to credible democratic processes, Professor Gombe urged INEC to remain neutral, transparent, and committed to constitutional provisions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He stated that the SDP remains dedicated to free, fair, and credible elections in 2027 and called on INEC to demonstrate its commitment to due process and democratic principles.