Nigeria’s political landscape was thrown into fresh turbulence this week, as two opposition parties — the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) – descended into a parallel leadership crisis, each marked by claims of illegitimate expulsions and accusations of internal hijack plots.
In the SDP, 37 state chairmen under the aegis of the Forum of SDP State Chairmen have backed the expulsion of the party’s former National Chairman, Shehu Gabam, accusing him of financial misconduct, abuse of office, and diversion of party funds amounting to nearly ₦1 billion.
At a press conference held on Wednesday at the SDP National Secretariat in Abuja, the Forum alleged that Gabam had mismanaged funds belonging to the party and operated a network of proxy accounts to siphon resources “far beyond his official entitlements”.
“Seventy-five percent of the embezzled funds belong to the states as stipulated by our constitution”, a spokesperson said, vowing to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigeria Police for a thorough investigation.
The chairmen described Gabam’s tenure as “an era riddled with extortion, intimidation, and an unbridled cash-centric exploitation of the office of the National Chairman,” insisting that his expulsion was a “corrective measure” to restore sanity and discipline to the SDP.
They also expressed full support for the National Working Committee’s (NWC) decision to expel Gabam and former National Youth Leader Ogbonna Uchechukwu, based on the findings of a disciplinary committee chaired by retired Air Vice-Marshal Abubakar Sadiq Liman.
However, Gabam swiftly rejected the move, dismissing his expulsion as “illegal and inconsequential.” In a statement signed by his Special Assistant (Legal), Abubakar Baba, he described the NWC’s action as a “desperate ploy by impostors to hijack the party.”
“I remain the national chairman of the SDP. Any meeting or decision taken without my authority is unconstitutional and void”, he declared.
In a parallel development, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is also battling internal strife, as its Kaduna State executives condemned what they called the purported expulsion of key party officials, declaring the move “null, void, and unconstitutional”.
Addressing newsmen in Kaduna, State Chairman Hon. Ahmed Tijjani Mustapha alleged that the expulsion was orchestrated by individuals “who are not registered members of the ADC” and have no proof of membership at the ward, local government, or state levels.
“The ADC in Kaduna has been built over time through dedication and hard work. We will not allow external elements to hijack our structures or replace our executives with impostors”, he stated.
He also condemned the recent removal of local government chairmen, claiming one SDP member was installed in Giwa local government area without consultation. The executives reaffirmed their loyalty to the party’s National Chairman, Senator David Mark, whom they praised for “building a robust and formidable ADC”.
The Kaduna ADC leadership urged members to “remain vigilant” and reject what they called “kangaroo decisions” by impostors claiming to represent the party, insisting that “the era of coalition politics is over”.
