INEC reinstates Gombe as SDP national chairman following court order
By Henry Nnaemeka
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has updated its official records to recognise Professor Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe as the National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), in compliance with a court order.
A review of the commission’s official portal showed that Professor Gombe has now been reinstated as the recognised chairman of the party, marking a significant development in the protracted leadership dispute within the SDP.
The update followed a court directive ordering the restoration of Gombe’s status as the party’s substantive national chairman.
Before the latest change, INEC’s records had reflected a different leadership arrangement, a development that fuelled internal disagreements and competing claims to the party’s national leadership.
With the revision, the SDP leadership structure currently displayed on the electoral commission’s portal lists Professor Gombe as National Chairman, with a notation indicating that his recognition is based on a court order.
Other members of the National Working Committee listed by the commission include Dr. Olu Agunloye as National Secretary, Hajia Maggie Mariam as National Treasurer, Bello Ado Huseni as National Financial Secretary and Barrister Aderemi as National Legal Adviser.
The development is expected to have far-reaching implications for the party’s internal administration and ongoing leadership contest, particularly as the SDP intensifies preparations ahead of future political activities and the 2027 general election.
As of the latest update on INEC’s portal, Professor Gombe remains the officially recognised National Chairman of the SDP in line with the court’s directive.
