The National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Alhaji Shehu Gabam, has denied reports of his suspension from office, insisting he remains firmly in charge and accusing unnamed political forces of orchestrating a plot to destabilise the party from within.
At a press conference held on Tuesday at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, Gabam, flanked by members of the National Working Committee, described the purported suspension as “fake news” and a product of political mischief.
“I remain the National Chairman of the SDP, as you can see. There has been no NWC meeting where such a decision was taken. The report is baseless and should be disregarded”, he declared.
Gabam blamed the growing crisis on a political coalition allegedly working with disgruntled elements within the SDP to fracture the party’s leadership. According to him, these forces are determined to either take over the SDP or destroy it entirely.
“We’ve seen this before. Certain people believe that if they can’t have the SDP, they must cripple it. They see us as a threat—too strong to manipulate. That’s why they are fueling internal chaos”, he said.
The embattled chairman revealed that attempts were made by private legal actors to convene a NWC meeting without his knowledge.
He said the request, which was submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission and signed by the party’s National Secretary, Dr. Olu Agunloye, was rejected by the Commission for lacking due authorisation.
“INEC made it clear that the request was illegal because it didn’t carry my signature. That tells you everything you need to know about the legitimacy of the claims against me”, he said.
Gabam issued a stern warning about the implications of such power plays, urging President Bola Tinubu to call security agencies to order and prevent politicians from using them as tools of political intimidation.
“This is dangerous territory for our democracy. Once dissenting voices are no longer tolerated, democracy is under threat. The misuse of security agencies to settle political scores is a disservice not just to me or to the SDP—but to Nigeria as a whole”, he said.
Responding to allegations of financial mismanagement, Gabam maintained his innocence and said all financial transactions under his leadership were properly documented.
“Let them bring the facts. Our bank records are clear. Every NWC member who received funds is listed in the statements. No one has been left out—including those making the accusations”, he challenged.
He also took a swipe at one of his accusers, a former SDP chairman, suggesting that those pointing fingers should first account for their own tenure.
“I’m ready to defend every action I’ve taken as chairman—any time, any day,” Gabam said.
PUNCH
