The two-hour meeting, held at INEC headquarters in Abuja, included SDP leaders, INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan, and several Resident Electoral Commissioners.

Speaking after the meeting, SDP National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Gombe, said the party attended the engagement in respect of INEC and its alternative dispute resolution mechanism.

He maintained that the SDP has constitutional authority to manage its internal affairs, stressing that the meeting was both “fruitful and constructive,” despite failing to produce a final resolution.

Gombe expressed surprise over claims that INEC was not aware of earlier correspondence submitted by the party, insisting that all documents had been properly acknowledged and resubmitted during the session.

He further explained that the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on March 9 in Abuja had legally ratified the current leadership and approved the suspension and expulsion of former National Chairman, Shehu Gabam.

According to him, INEC was duly informed and represented at the meeting that took the decision, adding that Gabam ceased to be a member of the party following his expulsion and did not exhaust internal dispute resolution channels.

The SDP leadership also argued that the court judgment referenced in the matter was not related to the party’s national leadership dispute.

Gombe emphasised that the NEC remains the party’s highest administrative body responsible for day-to-day decisions, and its resolutions are binding on all members.

Meanwhile, INEC Chairman Prof. Amupitan declined to comment after the meeting ended.

The attack was said to have occurred on Saturday evening as the soldiers were returning from an earlier operation targeting a suspected terrorist hideout near a border community.

According to local sources, the troops had successfully raided the camp and were moving back with three military vehicles when one of the vehicles developed a fault along the way.

One source said the terrorists may have regrouped after the initial raid and tracked the soldiers in a retaliatory strike.

He explained that the attackers struck when the troops stopped to fix the faulty vehicle, leading to a heavy exchange of gunfire.

Another account claimed the soldiers were trekking back to base with the assistance of a local guide when they were ambushed.

The source alleged that seven soldiers and the civilian guide were killed during the attack.

Residents said six bodies were first recovered, while another soldier’s remains were later discovered in a nearby bush.

A senior military officer confirmed that casualties were recorded but dismissed unverified figures circulating in the media.

He stated that tactical reinforcements had been deployed to the area, while intelligence-led operations were ongoing to track down the attackers.

The officer added that the identities of fallen personnel would not be released until their families were officially informed, urging the public and media to avoid spreading unconfirmed casualty reports.