The leadership crisis rocking the Social Democratic Party (SDP) took a fresh turn on Monday after a closed-door meeting between the party’s National Working Committee and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ended without a resolution.
The two-hour meeting was held at INEC headquarters in Abuja and involved the SDP leadership, INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, and some Resident Electoral Commissioners.
Speaking after the meeting, SDP National Chairman, Prof Sadiq Gombe, said the party honoured INEC’s invitation out of respect for the commission and its alternative dispute resolution process.
“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,” he said.
Gombe described the engagement as “fruitful and constructive,” but said the party was surprised by claims that INEC was unaware of earlier correspondence submitted to it.
“We have duly acknowledged copies of all correspondence submitted to INEC, and these documents were again presented during the meeting,” the party stated.
Gombe said the party’s NEC meeting held on March 9 in Abuja, validly ratified the current NWC and approved the suspension and expulsion of former National Chairman, Shehu Gabam.
He said the meeting was communicated to INEC and monitored by its officials.
“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.
Gombe said the court judgment reportedly relied on by INEC to recognise Gabam was unrelated to the party’s national leadership dispute.
“The NEC is the administrative organ responsible for the day-to-day running of the party, and its decisions on party affairs remain binding,” he said.
INEC Chairman, Prof Amupitan, declined to comment after the meeting.