ABUJA — The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cease all engagements with its expelled members and formally recognize its acting national chairman, following a definitive Supreme Court judgment affirming the party’s internal disciplinary authority.
The Acting National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Umar Abubakar, made the demand during a press briefing on Friday at the SDP national secretariat, immediately after the apex court’s ruling.
Abubakar urged INEC to “immediately remove the name of the suspended and expelled National Chairman,” Alhaji Shehu Gabam, from its records and replace it with his own, as the duly appointed leader recognized by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
“INEC should, in line with the ruling of the apex court, recognise only the duly constituted leadership of the SDP as determined by the party’s National Working Committee and its constitution,” he stated.
Judicial Affirmation of Party Autonomy
The SDP chairman described the Supreme Court verdict as a conclusive settlement of the party’s internal leadership dispute, reinforcing the principle that political parties have the exclusive right to manage their internal affairs without external interference.
“The Supreme Court has now clearly affirmed that the internal affairs of political parties are their exclusive reserve,” Abubakar said, commending the judiciary as “the last hope of the common man and institutions alike.”
He explained that the crisis originated when the NWC, acting under the SDP constitution, investigated allegations of constitutional breaches and financial impropriety against some national officers. After a disciplinary committee granted fair hearings, the former National Chairman and National Auditor were expelled—a decision communicated to INEC.
INEC’s refusal to recognize the new leadership and its insistence that party correspondence be signed by the expelled chairman forced the SDP to seek legal redress. Victories at the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal were upheld by the Supreme Court.
Call for New INEC-Party Relationship
Abubakar emphasized that the ruling reaffirms the supremacy of the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act, and party constitutions over administrative convenience.
He urged INEC to take guidance from the judgment and henceforth refrain from meddling in the internal affairs of political parties, calling for a new relationship based on mutual respect, adherence to the rule of law, and ethical conduct.
While noting that reconciliation efforts within the SDP are ongoing, Abubakar stressed that matters involving alleged criminal conduct would be left to the appropriate authorities.
“I hope and pray that this judgment will strengthen our democracy and help make Nigeria a better place for all,” he concluded.
The judgment is expected to set a significant precedent for party autonomy in Nigeria’s political landscape.
