SDP Chairman Gabam Denies Suspension, Blames Opposition Coalition for Party Crisis

The National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Alhaji Shehu Gabam, has strongly denied reports of his suspension, accusing a rival political coalition of orchestrating the crisis to seize control of the party’s leadership. Speaking at the SDP national secretariat in Abuja, Gabam described the alleged suspension as “fake news” driven by political mischief and insisted he remains the legitimate leader of the party.

The controversy emerged after the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Rufus Ayegbeni, issued a statement on Tuesday claiming Gabam and two other members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) were suspended over alleged financial mismanagement. Gabam rejected the claims and addressed journalists alongside several members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), calling on the public to disregard the suspension announcement.

Gabam alleged that elements within an opposition coalition were behind the internal discord, describing their strategy as a deliberate attempt to either capture the SDP or destabilize it. “Some of us understand where it is coming from,” he said. “This coalition and some of the people in the coalition believe that at all costs, they must either get the SDP or create confusion around it.”

He also accused the group of attempting to manipulate democratic institutions, stating that their plans had now been exposed. “I am sure Nigerians will get to know them—who are the anti-democratic forces conniving to disrupt political institutions.”

Challenging the validity of the suspension, Gabam pointed out that no official NWC meeting was held to ratify such a decision. He questioned the origin of the statement announcing the suspension and revealed that a law firm had previously attempted to notify the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) about an NWC meeting through a letter signed only by the party’s National Secretary, Dr. Olu Agunloye. According to Gabam, INEC rejected the notice because it lacked his co-signature as required by party protocol and electoral guidelines.

“They used a legal firm to communicate with INEC, which violates the proper process,” he said. “My signature is an authority signature. The INEC letter clearly states decisions must be jointly signed by the national chairman and national secretary.”

Addressing the financial mismanagement allegations, Gabam labeled them as baseless. He asserted his readiness to undergo scrutiny and said party financial records would reveal that all NWC members, including his accusers, had transactions reflected in the party’s bank statements. “I’m ready to account for my tenure any minute, any time,” he said, while also suggesting that those making accusations should also be held accountable for their own time in leadership.

Gabam maintained that the root of the crisis lies in a failed attempt by a coalition involving certain individuals and national officers to hijack the party’s structure. He claimed the current turmoil is a repeat of past power struggles within the SDP and warned against the involvement of security agencies being manipulated for political gain. He called on President Bola Tinubu to ensure security institutions are not misused to undermine democracy.

Meanwhile, in his initial statement, Ayegbeni said the decision to suspend Gabam and other NWC members was aimed at allowing for an impartial investigation into the allegations. He added that the Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Sadiq Umar Abubakar, had been appointed to take over the party’s leadership pending the outcome of the investigation.