The Social Democratic Party (SDP) on Tuesday turned its internal crisis into a broader indictment of Nigeria’s political culture, declaring that the criminal prosecution of its expelled former National Chairman, Shehu Musa Gabam, is a deliberate attempt to demonstrate the standard of accountability it intends to institutionalise if it forms the Federal Government in 2027.
In a blistering address to journalists at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja, SDP National Chairman, Professor Abubakar Sadiq Gombe, said the party had chosen the difficult path of subjecting its own former leaders to criminal investigation and prosecution rather than shielding them because of political considerations.
Without mentioning the All Progressives Congress (APC) by name, Gombe drew an unmistakable contrast between the SDP’s approach and what he described as the entrenched culture in which politicians facing allegations of corruption or financial misconduct simply cross over to the ruling party and suddenly become politically untouchable.
He argued that no political party could credibly promise Nigerians good governance while refusing to enforce discipline and accountability within its own ranks.
“We believed that if we are preparing to take over government, we have to be fair to ourselves, fair to Nigerians and accountable before God Almighty,” Gombe said.
According to him, the expulsion of Gabam and the party’s former National Youth Leader was only the first stage of the process.
The second, he explained, was to ensure that allegations of financial misconduct were subjected to independent criminal investigation instead of being swept under the carpet.
“After the expulsion of the former National Chairman and the former National Youth Leader, we did not stop there. We subjected them to scrutiny and prosecution over the criminal activities they were alleged to have been involved in.”
He disclosed that the affected officials are already facing criminal prosecution, insisting that the party would not abandon the legal process until it reaches its logical conclusion.
For Gombe, the prosecution is intended to send a message that public office under an SDP administration would never become a sanctuary against accountability.
“People are caught red-handed in breaches of the law, misappropriation and other offences, yet once they join the ruling party, everything dies there. We are saying that cannot be the way to build a nation.”
The SDP chairman said Nigeria’s governance crisis cannot be separated from what he described as the collapse of accountability within political parties themselves.
According to him, a party that cannot discipline its own leaders has little moral authority to seek the mandate to govern millions of Nigerians.
“Political parties must first cleanse themselves before they can present credible candidates to Nigerians. The SDP is determined to provide Nigerians with credible leadership through transparent, free and fair internal democratic processes.”
Gombe revealed that after securing access to the party’s financial records through legal processes, the SDP uncovered transactions it considered suspicious and subsequently petitioned the Inspector-General of Police and other security agencies over the alleged misappropriation of about ₦626 million.
He maintained that the party’s leadership would cooperate fully with investigators while allowing the courts to determine criminal liability.
“We are not going to leave any stone unturned until there are consequences for every action. Accountability must begin from within the political party before it can extend to government.”
He described the ongoing prosecution as the clearest evidence yet that the SDP intends to govern differently if elected in 2027.
Gombe also disclosed that members of the National Working Committee rejected repeated attempts to fracture the party through financial inducements, saying the leadership deliberately chose principle over personal enrichment.
“If I had accepted ₦500 million or even ₦1 billion, perhaps I would have retired comfortably. If members of the National Working Committee had accepted such inducements, the party would have been divided. But they remained resolute and committed.”
He said their refusal to compromise preserved the unity of the party and strengthened its resolve to offer Nigerians what he described as a genuine alternative to the country’s existing political order.
“All these members of the National Working Committee have remained together since 2022. They remained committed to the party and to Nigeria. They have the patriotism and commitment required for the rescue mission of our dear country.”
Beyond the accountability campaign, Gombe said the SDP has substantially complied with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s timetable for the 2027 general elections, having successfully conducted its national convention, completed nationwide primaries and commenced the upload of candidates for presidential, governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly elections.
He also reaffirmed that the current National Working Committee remains the only authentic leadership recognised by both the Supreme Court and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), insisting that all disputes over the party’s leadership have been settled through due legal process.
As preparations for the 2027 elections gather momentum, Gombe said the SDP intends to make accountability—not political convenience—the defining philosophy of its campaign.
“We are ready to reset this country with an SDP government in 2027 that will be responsive, accountable and transparent. Corruption and bad leadership have become the bane of our society. We are determined to change that.”
He added: “If we cannot hold ourselves accountable as a political party, we have no moral right to ask Nigerians to trust us with power.”