SDP State Chairmen back Gabam as Authentic Chairman after Appeal Court Judgment

From: Abubakar Mohammed 

Abuja, The Forum of SDP State Chairmen has declared that the leadership crisis rocking the Social Democratic Party (SDP) is now legally resolved, following a decisive judgment by the Court of Appeal that reinstated Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam as the authentic National Chairman of the party. The Forum’s Chairman, Hon. Danlami Musa, who also serves as the Nasarawa State Chairman, stated that the appellate court’s pronouncement has ended weeks of political uncertainty and false claims surrounding the party’s leadership.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Wednesday, Hon. Musa condemned what he described as “reckless falsehoods and calculated mischief” by individuals seeking to destabilize the SDP despite a clear judicial ruling. He specifically referenced claims made by one Mr. Rufus Aiyenigba, who he said has been peddling the narrative that Gabam was not reinstated and that Sadiq Abubakar Gombe remains chairman. The Forum dismissed the claims as “baseless, misleading, and a blatant distortion of a settled judicial pronouncement.”

According to the Forum, the Court of Appeal, in a unanimous judgment delivered on 27th March, 2026, in Suit Nos. CA/ABJ/CV/126/2026 and CA/ABJ/CV/127/2026, completely set aside the earlier Federal High Court judgment that recognized Gombe. The appellate court held that the lower court’s decision was made without jurisdiction and was “manifestly perverse,” thereby nullifying it in its entirety. The ruling, Hon. Musa noted, reaffirmed Gabam as the legitimate National Chairman and unequivocally removed Gombe from the position.

Hon. Musa further disclosed that the Court of Appeal uncovered alarming judicial misrepresentation in the matter. He alleged that certain actors, including Prince Adebayo Adewole and collaborators, relied on a “phantom judgment that never existed” to mislead the lower court into delivering its flawed ruling. He described the act as one that “strikes at the very heart of the integrity of the judiciary and democratic order” and called on security and law enforcement agencies to investigate all individuals involved in the alleged deception.

The Forum expressed concern over the continued circulation of false information even after the Court of Appeal’s clear ruling. Hon. Musa said it was troubling that an individual parading himself as a party officer would still claim that Gabam was not reinstated. “Such statements raise serious questions about the capacity to read and comprehend a straightforward judicial pronouncement,” he said, adding that the persistent falsehood is either “gross ignorance of the law or a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.”

For the avoidance of doubt, the Forum stressed that the Federal High Court judgment delivered on 19th January, 2026, has been completely nullified for want of jurisdiction and holds “no weight, no authority, and no relevance whatsoever.” Hon. Musa issued a final warning that any further attempt to distort the judgment of the Court of Appeal or to impersonate authority within the SDP will be met with immediate legal consequences.

The SDP State Chairmen reaffirmed their loyalty to Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam, describing his leadership as “firm, lawful, and unshaken.” The Forum maintained that the SDP is governed by law, order, and legitimacy, and not a platform for impostors or political merchants of confusion. They insisted that the truth has prevailed and the law has taken its full course.

With the Court of Appeal’s ruling, Hon. Musa said the path is now clear for Gabam to continue leading the party without legal encumbrances. He urged party members and the general public to disregard contrary claims, noting that no amount of propaganda can overturn a settled judgment of a superior court. The Forum declared that the chapter on the legal controversy surrounding Gombe’

s claim is now closed.