Supreme Court Fines INEC N2m Over Interference, Upholds SDP Autonomy

The Supreme Court’s decision fining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ₦2 million has reinforced the autonomy of political parties and issued a sharp rebuke to the electoral umpire over interference in internal party affairs, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has said.

Lead counsel to the SDP and its 2023 presidential candidate, Dr Adewole Adebayo, on Friday said the ruling was a clear warning to INEC to desist from actions that undermine Nigeria’s multi-party democracy.

“I have made it clear to INEC to stop interfering in the internal affairs of the SDP and other political parties,” Adebayo said after the judgment.

“A multi-party democracy requires an umpire that is unbiased and not one that foments crises within opposition parties.”

Adebayo maintained that the SDP has no leadership crisis, noting that the party’s national officers, including the National Chairman, Sadiq Umar Abubakar, the National Secretary Dr. Olu Agunloye and members of the National Working Committee (NWC), are validly in office.

He explained that the dispute arose when the party appointed an acting national chairman who wrote to INEC to nominate candidates, a move the commission declined to recognise, opting instead to deal with a chairman already removed by the party.

“The courts were clear that INEC had no such powers,” Adebayo said, recalling that the Court of Appeal affirmed the SDP’s right to change its leadership and authorised the acting chairman to act for the party.

Despite the ruling, INEC pursued the matter to the Supreme Court, which dismissed the appeal and imposed a ₦2 million fine on the commission a cost Adebayo said would ultimately fall on taxpayers.

“It is unfortunate for the taxpayer, but it is a necessary lesson for INEC to leave the SDP, and indeed all political parties, alone,” he said.

He warned that democracy would be imperilled if opposition parties were weakened through institutional interference.

“If only the ruling party exists, there will be no democracy. Nigerians must have real choices,” Adebayo added.

Also reacting, the Acting National Chairman of the SDP, Prof. Sadiq Umar Abubakar, described the judgment as a landmark victory for democracy and the rule of law.

“This decision is very significant, not only for the SDP, but for all political parties in Nigeria,” he said.

“It affirms the long-standing position of the Supreme Court that the internal affairs of political parties are for the parties alone to determine.”

Abubakar urged INEC to comply fully with the ruling and allow political parties to manage their internal processes without interference, while also calling on parties to adhere strictly to their constitutions.

“We are grateful to the judiciary. We hope this judgment strengthens our democracy and the rule of law as we move towards 2027 and beyond,” he said.

The Supreme Court’s ruling reinforces the principle of party autonomy and underscores judicial intolerance for undue interference by regulatory institutions in internal political processes.