The expelled National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Shehu Gabam, has rejected his removal from office, declaring that he remains the duly recognised leader of the party.
In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by his Special Assistant (Legal), Abubakar Baba, Gabam described his purported expulsion as “illegal, null and void,” accusing a group of “impostors” of attempting to destabilise the SDP through unconstitutional means.
“The move is a desperate attempt to usurp legitimate authority and plunge the party into chaos,” the embattled chairman stated. “It is of no consequence and has no legal standing.”
Gabam, along with the National Youth Leader, Dr Ogbonna Uchechukwu, and several others, was reportedly expelled on Thursday following a meeting of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja.
However, reacting to the development, Gabam dismissed the meeting and its resolutions as illegitimate. “The said meeting is illegal, null and void, and of no effect whatsoever,” he insisted.
Citing Article 13 (iv) of the SDP Constitution, Gabam emphasised that only the National Chairman is empowered to preside over meetings of the National Convention, National Executive Committee, National Working Committee, and National Caucus.
“I remain the National Chairman of the SDP,” he said. “Any meeting convened or presided over without the consent of the duly recognised chairman constitutes a gross violation of the party’s constitution and a brazen attempt to subvert legitimate authority.”
Gabam also criticised the party’s National Secretary, Olu Agunloye, for allegedly writing to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to communicate the decisions of the disputed meeting. He described the action as a breach of Part 2 (12) 3 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2022.
As tensions within the SDP escalate, political observers warn that the internal rift could weaken the party’s structure ahead of forthcoming political activities, unless urgent reconciliation efforts are undertaken.
