Expelled SDP Chairman, Shehu Gabam, Declares Himself Legitimate Party Leader

The expelled National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Shehu Gabam, has rejected his reported removal, insisting that he remains the legitimate leader of the party.

Gabam made his position known in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by his Special Assistant (Legal), Abubakar Baba, describing his purported expulsion as “illegal, null, and void.”

He alleged that the move was orchestrated by impostors seeking to destabilise the party, stressing that the action had no constitutional backing or legal effect.

InfoStride News recalls that Gabam, alongside the National Youth Leader, Dr. Ogbonna Uchechukwu, and several others, was expelled on Thursday following a meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja.

Reacting to the development, Gabam dismissed the meeting as illegitimate. “The said meeting is illegal, null and void, and of no effect whatsoever,” he stated.

Citing Article 13 (iv) of the SDP Constitution, which empowers only the National Chairman to preside over meetings of the National Convention, National Executive Committee, National Working Committee, and National Caucus, Gabam argued that his removal was unconstitutional.

“I remain the National Chairman of the SDP. 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 usurp legitimate authority,” he maintained.

Gabam also criticised the National Secretary, Olu Agunloye, for allegedly writing to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to communicate the purported decisions of the disputed meeting.

He described the move as a violation of Part 2 (12) 3 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties (2022), insisting that only a duly constituted leadership could engage the commission on party matters.