The Social Democratic Party (SDP) on Thursday reaffirmed that its former National Chairman, Shehu Gabam, remains expelled, insisting that Dr Sadiq Gombe is the legitimate head of the party.
Naija News reports that the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Rufus Aiyenigba, made this known in a statement issued in Abuja.
Aiyenigba said the clarification became necessary in view of growing confusion over the interpretation of recent Court of Appeal rulings relating to the party’s Ekiti State governorship primary held on August 8, 2025.
The SDP also accused Gabam of deliberately twisting court pronouncements in a bid to mislead the public and revive his political career.
The statement read in part, “The SDP is mindful that a lie deliberately crafted and vigorously pushed into the public space, without being challenged and countered with superior facts, could pass for truth, and the misinformation becomes normalised and misleads the public.
“The national leadership hereby sets the record straight, by telling the public that the expelled National Chairman, Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam, who has become part of our documented past, is in a delusional state of mind, considering that the reality has dawned on him that his hope of saving his political career via a return to his former position in the party has evaporated.”
The party maintained that no court had removed Gombe as chairman, insisting that the judgments being referenced were strictly on disputes arising from governorship primaries in Ekiti and Osun states, and not on the leadership structure of the party.
On Gabam’s status, the SDP reiterated that he is no longer a member of the party, having been suspended in June 2025 and later expelled in October of the same year over allegations of financial misconduct.
The statement added, “His expulsion was ratified by the National Executive Committee on March 9, 2026, in a meeting monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“As a matter of fact, Shehu Musa Gabam is no longer a member of the Social Democratic Party, having been duly expelled from the SDP for gross financial misappropriation and malfeasance, found guilty and reported to the Police.
“The SDP will not join issues with an expelled member, more so, considering that Gabam is facing criminal proceedings for his misappropriation of our party’s funds and for gross abuse of office.”
Reaffirming its position on the leadership of the party, the SDP said, “Dr Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe continues in office as National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party.”
Despite the internal crisis, the party said it remained focused on strengthening its structures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
It added that it was continuing with membership registration and building alliances with political and socio-cultural groups.
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