SDP leadership crisis talks with INEC end in deadlock

The lingering leadership crisis rocking the Social Democratic Party took a fresh twist on Monday after a closed-door meeting between the party’s National Working Committee and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission ended without a resolution.

The two-hour meeting, held at the INEC headquarters in Abuja, involved the SDP leadership, the commission’s chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, and some Resident Electoral Commissioners.

The meeting was convened amid growing tension over conflicting claims to the party’s national leadership structure, court rulings, and recent interventions by the electoral umpire.

However, the meeting reportedly ended in a deadlock after both parties failed to reach a common ground.

The PUNCH gathered that SDP leaders drew the attention of the INEC chairman to letters and documents earlier submitted to the commission concerning developments within the party, a claim Amupitan was said to have denied knowledge of.

Speaking with journalists shortly after the meeting, SDP National Chairman, Prof Sadiq Gombe, said the party attended the meeting out of respect for the electoral commission and in response to an invitation for an alternative dispute resolution process.

While expressing satisfaction with the engagement, Gombe described the discussions with INEC officials as “fruitful and constructive.”

He said, “We are here because of the respect we have for INEC and to honour its invitation for alternative dispute resolution, but we made it categorically clear that the SDP, as an institution, has the constitutional authority to manage its internal affairs.”

The SDP chairman, however, expressed surprise over claims allegedly made by the INEC chairman that the commission was unaware of correspondence relating to suspensions, expulsions, and decisions taken by the party leadership.

“We have duly acknowledged copies of all correspondence submitted to INEC, and these documents were again presented during the meeting,” the party stated.

Gombe maintained that the party’s National Executive Committee meeting held on March 9 in Abuja, validly ratified the appointments of the current members of the National Working Committee and also approved the suspension and expulsion of former National Chairman, Shehu Gabam.

According to him, the NEC meeting was formally communicated to INEC and monitored by officials of the commission, with certified true copies of the proceedings submitted afterwards.

The SDP leadership also defended the disciplinary action taken against Gabam, saying it followed allegations bordering on corruption, mismanagement, criminal breach of the party constitution, and violations of both the Electoral Act and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He further argued that under Article 19(C) of the SDP constitution, any member subjected to disciplinary action has five working days to challenge such a decision through the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms.

“From the day the NEC ratified his expulsion, he ceased to be a member of the party.

“He did not exhaust the internal mechanisms provided by the constitution of the SDP,” the leadership said.

On the controversial court judgment reportedly relied upon by INEC to recognise Gabam, Gombe clarified that the matter before the Supreme Court originated from a suit filed by an SDP governorship aspirant in Ekiti State and had no connection with the party’s national leadership tussle.

He also insisted that no court ruling could invalidate resolutions reached by the NEC and ratified at the party’s convention on issues relating strictly to the internal administration of the party.

“The NEC is the administrative organ responsible for the day-to-day running of the party, and its decisions on party affairs remain binding,” the chairman said.

Efforts to get a reaction from Amupitan proved abortive as the INEC chairman declined to comment while leaving the commission’s premises after the meeting.

The SDP has, in recent weeks, been engulfed in an intense leadership battle following conflicting claims over the party’s authentic national leadership, worsened by court rulings and interventions by INEC.

The crisis deepened in October 2025 after Gabam, alongside Uchechukwu and the party’s National Auditor, Clarkson Nnadi, were expelled over allegations of misconduct and financial impropriety.

Tension further escalated days ago when Gabam, whose removal remains contentious, reportedly stormed the party’s national secretariat in Abuja with armed policemen in an attempt to reclaim control of the party structure.