Nigeria’s Social Democratic Party (SDP) has announced the suspension of its National Chairman, Shehu Gabam, along with its National Auditor and National Youth Leader, over allegations of financial misconduct.
The party, in a statement released on Tuesday, said that Shehu Gabam, National Auditor Nnadi Clarkson, and National Youth Leader Chukwuma Uchechukwu had been suspended with immediate effect.
The SDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Araba Aiyenigba, stated that the suspended officials were linked to “a series of unauthorised financial transactions, personal enrichment schemes, and diversion of funds” without the approval of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
According to Mr Aiyenigba, Shehu Gabam had submitted an unauthorised financial statement to Nigeria’s electoral commission, INEC, and published a summary in newspapers, prompting the party to alert law enforcement agencies.
“This action reinforces our zero-tolerance stance on corruption,” Mr Aiyenigba added.
The party has established an interim panel to conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations, audit all financial records, and recommend appropriate disciplinary or legal action.
The Deputy National Chairman (North), Sadiq Abubakar, has been appointed as the Acting National Chairman in accordance with the SDP’s constitution.
The party alleges that the mismanaged funds amount to hundreds of millions of naira, including proceeds from the sale of nomination forms for the 2023 elections and donations.
INEC and other relevant agencies have been officially notified of the suspensions, the statement concluded.
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