The National Working Committee (NWC) of Social Democratic Party (SDP) has suspended the national chairman of the party, Shehu Gabam, and two other committee members over allegations of gross financial misconduct.
National Publicity Secretary of the SDP, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, said the Gabam was suspended alongside Nze Nnadi Clarkson, National Auditor, and Uchechukwu Chukwuma, National Youth Leader, for alleged gross financial misconduct, embezzlement, misappropriation, and diversion of party funds.
According to him, the NWC`s action was in exercise of its exclusive powers as guaranteed in Article 19.1; 19.3(i) and 19.5 of the Party Constitution (2022 as amended).
He added: “Overwhelming evidence was presented linking the suspended officials to a series of unauthorized financial transactions, personal enrichment schemes, and movement of funds from the party’s accounts without necessary approvals of the NWC.
The action of the NWC to suspend the National Chairman and two members of the NWC involved in the gross financial misconduct is to demonstrate to the general public that the party, generally esteemed by Nigerians as a disciplined party and a credible alternative political platform for national redemption has zero tolerance for corruption and abuse of office.
“The decision to suspend the National Chairman and other implicated NWC members is to allow for a thorough investigation. Our integrity as a political party must be upheld at all times,” the statement read.
He said an interim investigative panel has been constituted to audit all financial records and recommend further disciplinary or legal actions.
he Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Sadiq Umar Abubakar has been directed to assume leadership of the party pending the outcome of the investigations.”
Aiyenigba added that “the misappropriated funds amount to hundreds of millions of naira, including donations and resources realised from the sales of nomination forms in the 2023 general elections and other funds from the party accounts.
“The suspension has been communicated to the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), and all relevant anti- graft agencies and security agencies have been formally notified.
The suspension of Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam, Nze Nnadi Clarkson, and Uchechukwu Chukwuma takes immediate effect.”
The statement urged the public to be guided by the situation in the opposition party.
But, the SDP national chairman has debunked his purported suspension from office, describing it as “fake news” which should be disregarded.
Speaking with newsmen at the National Secretariat of the Party in Abuja along with the members of the National Working Committee [NWC] of the Party, over his purported suspension, Alhaji Gabam said, “I remain the national Chairman of the SDP as you can see.”
Debunking the report as fake, he accused the new Coalition being formed by some individuals for the current crisis in the party with the collaboration of some members of the National officials of the party
He explained that there was no official meeting of the party’s NWC where such a decision was taken and wondered where the statement emanated from.
He added that a private legal firm had earlier approached the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC and requested for a meeting of the Party’s NWC which was signed by the National Secretary of the Party, Dr Olu Agunloye, which the Commission allegedly rejected.
He also lamented that the SDP was being masterminded by the coalition that wanted to destroy the party since they couldn’t have it
According to him, “I think we had this crisis before. It is now rearing its head. Some of us understand where it is coming from because of this coalition and some of the people in the coalition who believe that at all costs, they either get SDP or create confusion around SDP. So many forces from so many fronts see SDP as very, very deadly. Or very, very strong that they cannot manoeuvre over.
He appealed to President Bola Tinubu to call security agencies to order so that politicians would not use them to truncate democracy
He said: ” This is very, very dangerous for our democracy. Anytime we have leaders that don’t want to accommodate a dissenting voice, then the country is gone. Democracy will disappear.
“We hope, and I pray the president and commander-in-chief will not allow this kind of anarchy to continue. He will call people to order. Security agencies that somehow remotely are being used to support this kind of thing.
“They are not doing me a disservice to me. They are not doing disservice to this party. It’s a disservice to the country.
He also pointed out that those who were accusing him of financial misappropriation should remember that they’re the ones who raised memos and that all their names were in the party’s account statement.
