The Social Democratic Party has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to maintain the existing position on its national leadership amid the ongoing dispute involving former National Chairman Shehu Gabam.
The party urged INEC not to take action based on a Federal High Court judgment being relied upon by Gabam and his legal team.
The SDP stated its position in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Rufus Aiyenigba.
Aiyenigba was responding to a July 9 letter reportedly submitted to INEC on behalf of Gabam by his lawyers.
The letter forwarded a June 24 judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
According to the SDP, the judgment cannot override an earlier Supreme Court decision, which the party said had nullified the Court of Appeal ruling on which the High Court relied.
Aiyenigba said the SDP had already appealed the Federal High Court judgment and that the case was now pending before the Court of Appeal.
He also argued that the plaintiff in the matter was neither the SDP governorship candidate in Osun State nor a participant in the party’s governorship primary.
The party maintained that Nigerian courts had repeatedly held that issues relating to the internal leadership of political parties are outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
Aiyenigba further said the Federal High Court judgment did not order INEC to recognise Gabam as national chairman or Ogbonna Okechukwu as national secretary.
He alleged that the High Court based its decision on the Court of Appeal judgment in Fayemi Tosin Babatunde v. INEC.
According to him, that appellate decision had already been set aside by the Supreme Court on May 22.
The SDP said INEC had earlier complied with the Court of Appeal decision before it was overturned by the apex court.
The party therefore urged the electoral commission to preserve the current leadership arrangement pending the determination of the appeal.
It warned that acting on the High Court judgment would amount to reviving a Court of Appeal decision that had already been nullified by the Supreme Court.
The SDP also accused Gabam of attempting to destabilise the party.
It insisted that the party was a public political institution belonging to Nigerians and not the private property of any individual.
Aiyenigba said the Supreme Court remained the highest judicial authority in the country and that its decisions were binding on all lower courts.
He added that the SDP had successfully held its National Executive Committee meeting on Wednesday, describing it as the second NEC meeting within four months.
According to him, the meeting demonstrated the party’s commitment to constitutional governance, internal democracy and institutional stability.
The spokesperson also said the party had concluded the nomination of its presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, and vice-presidential candidate, Usman Bugaje, for the 2027 general elections.
He added that the SDP was also uploading the names and credentials of candidates who emerged from its primaries across the country.
Aiyenigba said the party remained focused on strengthening its internal structures and preparing for the 2027 general elections.
