INEC recognises Sadiq as authentic SDP national chairman, drops Gabam from portal

The Independent National Electoral Commission has updated its official portal to reflect Dr Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe as the authentic national chairman of the Social Democratic Party, (SDP) following a Supreme Court majority judgement that overturned an earlier Court of Appeal ruling on a dispute tied to the SDP’s Ekiti State governorship aspirant.

The electoral commission had previously listed Shehu Gabam on the portal, but has since removed his name and replaced it with Gombe’s, formalising the court’s position on the party’s internal leadership contest.

Gombe’s emergence as chairman followed the suspension and subsequent expulsion of Gabam, who was accused of financial malpractice, malfeasance and misappropriation. Gabam is currently facing trial at an Abuja Magistrate Court over the allegations.

The Supreme Court verdict came after the SDP’s national convention held in Bauchi on 9 May, at which delegates returned Gombe as chairman and formally nominated Dr Adewole Adebayo, a seasoned lawyer, as the party’s presidential flag-bearer for the 2027 general election.

Adebayo, a lawyer and political activist, previously contested the 2023 presidential election on the SDP platform.

His re-nomination, combined with the resolution of the party’s protracted leadership dispute, is being received within opposition circles as a stabilising development for the SDP at a time when other major opposition parties are grappling with internal uncertainties ahead of the 2027 cycle.