The former National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Shehu Gabam, has been arraigned before a Federal Capital Territory Chief Magistrate Court over allegations of misappropriation, breach of trust, and forgery involving party funds.
Gabam appeared in court on Tuesday alongside the party’s former National Youth Leader, Chukwuma Uchechukwu, in suit No. DCC/10/2026. The case was filed by the current SDP National Chairman, Sadiq Gombe, under the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
At the hearing, Gabam pleaded not guilty to all charges brought against him.
The court granted him bail in the sum of N3 million, with two sureties who must own landed property in Abuja. He was also ordered to submit his international passport to the court registrar pending the conclusion of the trial.
The case was adjourned to May 25 for further hearing.
Speaking after the court session, Gombe said the action was part of efforts to restore discipline and accountability within the party, adding that previous petitions had allegedly not been addressed by relevant authorities.
He said, “We are happy with the court decision as we have confidence in the ability of the judiciary to do justice to the millions of members of the SDP. This is not about us but the institution. The SDP is an institution governed by law through its constitution, the Electoral Act and the country’s constitution.
“What we are doing now is to cleanse the party and reset it. If we are present candidates who will be president, governors, senators, members of the House of Representatives, State Houses of Assembly, chairmen, and councillors, I think at the party level we are supposed to cleanse it to make it corruption-free.
“That is why we embarked on the cleansing procedure. In the process, an audit report was submitted to INEC, in which we disclosed that during the period under review, we met only N32m, of which N31m was squandered.”
The crisis within the SDP intensified in October 2025 after Gabam, Uchechukwu, and the party’s National Auditor, Clarkson Nnadi, were expelled over allegations of misconduct and financial irregularities.
The party later set up a disciplinary committee, which recommended their removal after investigation.
The National Working Committee adopted the committee’s report and formally expelled Gabam and Uchechukwu for alleged gross misconduct and abuse of office, a decision later backed by the party’s state chairmen.
