By George Mgbeleke

The Supreme Court, on Friday in a landmark and declatory judgement on a suit number SC/CV/229/2026, set aside the Court of Appeal Judgement which INEC used in removing Prof. Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe as National Chairman, and replaced with the expelled former national chairman, Shehu Musa Gabam, on the Commission’s portal.

Recall that the Supreme Court heard the six appeals brought by the SDP on Tuesday, 12th May 2026, and reserved judgement for Friday 22nd May 2026. Supreme Court read a full judgement in FAYEMI TOSIN BABATUNDE VS INEC & 4 ORS SC/CV/229/2026 and ordered that the other five appeals shall abide by this judgement.The Supreme Court held inter alia thus:

(1) Plaintiffs had no locus standi, not being aspirants, and that robbed the Court of jurisdiction.

(2) Federal High Court was right to have dismissed the suit for lack of locus standi and having so dismissed the suit should not have bothered to make other findings.

(3) The Court of Appeal per Nyesom-Wike JCA, was wrong to have on the basis of an appeal by an appellant lacking in locus standi and without jurisdiction to invalidate the Ekiti Governorship primarily election which returned Ambassador Isaac Adebayo Alade as the SDP Governorship candidate for the June 2026 election in Ekiti State. That judgement of the Court of Appeal is set aside

(4) The Court of Appeal is wrong to have on the basis of this appeal pronounced on the issue of venue and other aspects of the Ekiti State Governorship primary Election of the SDP. That judgement is also set aside.

(5) The Court of Appeal is wrong to have alluded to or rely on INEC report on another purported parallel governorship primary election of Engineer David Oludele Bankole. That is also set aside.

(6) The Court of Appeal was wrong to have made pronouncements on the leadership of SDP without jurisdiction. Those pronouncements pertaining to Prof Sadiq Abubakar Gombe and SDP leadership are also set aside.

(7) In the final analysis, the Court of Appeal should not have disturbed the judgement of the Trial Court. Supreme Court strikes the suit ab initio for lack of locus standi as held by the Federal High Court per Nwite J and sets aside all the parts of the judgement of the Court of Appeal delivered on 27th March 2027 which set aside parts of the judgement of the Federal High Court delivered on 19th January 2026.

Today’s foregoing Supreme Court judicial action set aside the judgement of Hon. Justice Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike, JCA, upon which INEC wrongly relied on to restore the former Chairman, expressly brings to finality the shenanigans of Gabam and his co-travellers, and the distraction caused by his activities, which were apparently funded and enabled, by some well-placed individuals within the polity.

By implications, it is the end of the road for Gabam and his co-conspirators, and the incpnstestable affirmation of the Prof. Gombe-led National Working Committee (NWC) as the authentic national leadership of the SDP, as well as the validation of the actions taken by the National Convention of the Party, which held in Bauchi on May 9, 2026.

In a statement signed by National Publicity Secretary of SDP, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, the party having finally overcome the deliberate and concerted ploy to undermine and distract it ahead of the 2027 polls, has been strongly strengthened and positioned to forge ahead in its well-laid out programs and activities towards coming out victorious in the general elections.

“The Party salutes the independence and courage of conviction displayed by the distinguished Priest of the nation’s. highest Temple of Justice, on this particular matter. The resilience of the SDP national leadership under Prof. Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe and the members across the country are greatly commended and appreciated. We salute everyone for staying the course admirably during the struggle and long walk to freedom for the Party.

“Truth and common sense have finally prevailed over lies and deception and national interest over the personal interest of “career politicians,” and Nigeria is better for this positive development.

“Yes, victory has finally been delivered to us, and the party returned to the people who are the true owners, but the real work has just begun for all well-meaning SDP faithful.

“The task has been set out – the duty of selling the ideals of social democracy and people-centred politics as well laid out in the manifesto of the party, and as represented by the relatable national restoration amd economic recovery agenda of Prince Adewole Adebayo, the presidential Candidate of the Party elected at the National Convention of the party in Bauchi, for the 2027 general elections.”

By Uthman-Baba Naseer, Minna

The Minna High Court Number two,was on Wednesday thrown into emotional mood,as a defendant standing trial before the court narrated how he lost his two eyes to torture by men of the State criminal investigation Department (SCID), of the Niger State Police Command.

Idris Mohammed, was narrating his ordeal before Justice Mikhail Abdullahi of the Minna High Court number two that he was already serving a jail term in Minna Correctional facility when some plain clothe operatives from the SCID came to pick him to the State Police headquarters in Minna.

Narrating his ordeal under cross examination by his defence counsel,Olusegun Ogunbanwo Esq. Idris Mohammed told the court, that he was taken to the State CID headquarters in Minna where he was subjected to all manner of torture to admit an offence he never committed.

According to Idris Mohammed, he was handcuffed and two of his legs were chained together and hanged to the ceiling before he was given the beating of his life by men of the SCID for him to confess to an offence he did not know anything about.

Idris who was speaking through an interpreter from Nupe to English, further told the court that with the severe State of the torture, he stood his ground that he will not admmit to an offence he did not know anything about.

“ I was taken to the prison by a Shariah Court in Sabon titi area of Tunga in Minna. While in the prison for another offence,when some plain clothes operatives came to pick me up at the SCID office where I’m subjected to severe torture as a result of the torture I lost my two eyes” he told the court.

Idris Mohammed was led to the dock by one of the inmates who is also standing trial along with him on an offence of culpable homicide punishable by death.

He was arraigned before the court along with three other defendants some time in August,2015 for alleged culpable homicide by the office of the Attorney General of Niger State.

They were alleged to have caused the death of a particular unknown person whose corpse was discovered in the Lapai Gbari area along Talba’s Farm in Minna some time in 2015.

The four defendants were then remanded in Minna old custodial facility in the past eleven years on awaiting trials for the allegation of culpable homicide punishable by death which according to them they did not commit the said offence neither do they even know the alleged deceased person.

Under re-cross examination,the defendants claimed to have been subjected to all forms of torture “ for them to admmit to the crime which we don’t know anything about”

After all their submissions before the court, Justice Mikhail Abdullahi then adjourned the case to 8th June,2026 for further hearing.

By Our Correspondent

To put an end to incessant building collapses in the country, FCT Minister,Barr Nyesom Wike has set up an investigative Panel to probe the deadly building collapse in Abuja that killed four people and injured others.

The Minister who launched a full investigation, ordered the site shut down, and directed police to detain the developer and site engineers.

The incident has rattled the Federal capital. Early findings point to a catastrophic foundation failure triggered by a buried, badly backfilled local well that went undetected before construction began.

Wike visited the site Monday and looked shaken as he offered condolences. He called the loss “very pathetic” and confirmed that one site engineer is already in custody, with the developer slated for arrest next.

“From the report I got, we lost four persons. Nobody is happy when you lose somebody. The government is taking over this site. The Department of Development Control has sealed off the premises, and we are setting up an expert panel to really look at what happened,” he said.

The Minister issued a blunt warning to builders who skip regulatory checks. He stressed that building codes exist to protect lives, not to block urban growth, and questioned both material quality and the foundation decisions made during construction.

“When you are constructing buildings of this nature, the lives of the people are very, very important. We must know the quality of materials. What does the soil test allow? Can it support two or three floors? Will it allow for piling or a raft foundation? All these are key,” Wike emphasized.

He also hit back at media outlets and critics who accuse officials of harassment when enforcement happens.

“Sometimes when we come to a site like this, the press has not been kind to us. Instead of finding out why the government is taking action, some people resort to blackmailing government officials to look for money. But look at these lives.

How can you buy back these lives? They are gone. It is the responsibility of government to protect life and property.”

Also speaking, Bashir Madaki Sanusi, Director of the Department of Development Control, explained that an independent integrity test by consultant Mr. Emeko uncovered serious underground problems hidden from the builders.

The soil consisted of old dredged waterway deposits built up over years. Directly under the construction footprint was a historic local well filled with loose debris and clay. The building team didn’t know it was there.

“Columns C and D were placed right above this hidden pit. The well was 2 meters deep, but the columns extended only 1.5 meters. That shortfall created the structural gap that caused the collapse”.

Sanusi defended his department’s process, noting that standard soil tests and approvals showed no red flags beforehand, and inspectors supervised every stage from foundation to the final floor.

He said surface-level tests can’t detect a backfilled well packed with debris and clay underground.

The Department of Development Control will wrap up its preliminary review. An independent panel will then examine the structural designs, verify soil test records, and review supervision logs to assign responsibility for the fatal collapse.