A forum of Social Democratic Party (SDP) chairmen has supported the recent suspension of Shehu Gabam as the national chairman of the party.
The chairmen expressed their support for Gabam’s suspension on Friday, noting that it is necessary to cleanse the party and uphold its core values of transparency and internal democracy.
Speaking on behalf of the 36 state chairmen at a press conference in Abuja, Femi Olaniyi, the forum chairman, dismissed rumours of internal crisis within SDP.
Olaniyi said the opposition party remains united in its mission to offer Nigerians a credible political alternative.
“There is no crisis within the SDP. What we are doing is internal cleansing, not internal crisis. We cannot point fingers at the ruling government’s corruption while turning a blind eye to misconduct within our ranks,” he said.
He said the forum supports the national working committee’s (NWC) decision to suspend Gabam, along with Clarkson Nnadi, the national auditor and Ogbonna Chukwuma, the national youth leader.
The chairman stated issues of alleged financial mismanagement, autocratic leadership, and constitutional breaches by the suspended officials.
According to Olaniyi, several state chapters had consistently raised concerns about the lack of transparency in the handling of party funds, accusing Gabam of sidelining the states from financial allocations guaranteed by the party’s constitution.
“No state chapter has received a dime from the funds raised. Every time we asked for our constitutionally mandated share, we were met with threats of suspension or removal. It’s the classic case of ‘monkey dey work, baboon dey chop,” he alleged.
“We urge the acting national chairman and the national secretary to act swiftly by calling for a NEC meeting, which is long overdue. This is a matter of restoring constitutional order and not about political ambition or 2027 power play.”
Additionally, the chairmen pledged to designate a representative to the party’s disciplinary investigation panel and demanded that all investigations be carried out impartially, openly, and without political influence.
