Supreme Court Nullifies Appeal Court Ruling on SDP Primary

The Supreme Court of Nigeria nullified the Court of Appeal's judgment concerning the Social Democratic Party's (SDP) governorship primary election held in Ekiti State for the June 2026 elections. The apex court, in a unanimous decision delivered by Justice Moham Lawal Garba, set aside the appellate court's ruling that had affirmed the leadership structure of the SDP under Dr.

Sadiq Abubakar Gomb. The Supreme Court upheld the Federal High Court's earlier ruling, which dismissed a suit filed by Fayemi Babatund challenging the legality of the SDP's primary election, stating that Babatund lacked the legal standing to contest the primary.

The court emphasized that the matter was an internal affair of the SDP and that the Federal High Court had no jurisdiction over it. Consequently, the Supreme Court restored the Federal High Court's judgment, confirming Ambassador Isaac Adebayo Alad as the valid SDP governorship candidate for the upcoming elections.