The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court over the disqualification of its candidates from participating in upcoming by-elections across 12 states, even as the party battles a worsening leadership crisis.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the SDP National Publicity Secretary, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, accused INEC of overstepping its constitutional boundaries by refusing to recognize candidates who emerged from what the party described as legitimate primary elections.
“The SDP is already challenging INEC’s decision in court,” the statement read.
“We are confident that the judiciary will compel INEC to accept our validly nominated candidates, in line with the constitution, Electoral Act, and INEC guidelines.”
The commission reportedly disqualified SDP and Labour Party candidates on the basis of alleged internal party disputes, a move the SDP insists contradicts a Supreme Court ruling affirming political parties’ autonomy in the nomination of candidates.
INEC’s rejection of candidates comes against the backdrop of escalating internal turmoil within the SDP. A fierce leadership tussle recently led to the emergence of a new faction led by Adamu Modibo as acting national chairman, following an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on July 25 in Abuja and attended by 23 state chairmen.
Modibo vowed to restore order within the party, announcing the formation of a reconciliation and disciplinary committee to unify warring factions.
“We are drawing a line,” he declared, as he promised to address all forms of misconduct tearing the party apart.
However, a rival faction led by Dr. Sadiq Abubakar has rejected Modibo’s leadership, describing the NEC meeting as unconstitutional and unauthorized.
The faction’s National Secretary, Dr. Olu Agunloye, accused the Modibo camp of forging signatures of state chairmen and warned against further constitutional breaches.
The crisis has snowballed into a wave of suspensions and expulsions. On June 24, the faction loyal to Alhaji Shehu Gabam suspended the former national chairman himself over allegations of financial misappropriation and unauthorized dealings.
Two other top officials — National Auditor Nze Nnadi Clarkson and National Youth Leader Uchechukwu Chukwuma — were also suspended for similar offences.
In a surprising twist, the SDP announced a 30-year expulsion of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, from its ranks. The party accused El-Rufai of falsely claiming to be a member while covertly promoting the interest of another political party in Kaduna.
According to Aiyenigba, El-Rufai failed to complete the basic requirement of registration at the ward level and aligned himself with suspended party figures.
“His actions violate both the SDP constitution and the Electoral Act,” Aiyenigba stated.
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