…Grants N3m bail 

The leadership crisis rocking the Social Democratic Party (SDP) worsened on Tuesday as a Magistrate Court sitting in Wuse Zone 2, Federal Capital Territory, arraigned the embattled fo

.rmer National Chairman of the party, Shehu Gabam, over alleged financial misappropriation and other related offences.

In the criminal case marked DCC/10/2026 before the FCT Chief Magistrate Court, Gabam and one Chukwuma Uchechukwu were arraigned on a six-count charge bordering on alleged misappropriation of over N35 million belonging to the party, forgery and breach of trust.

Gabam, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges before the presiding Chief Magistrate, Amauche Onyedium.

Following his plea, the court granted him bail in the sum of N3 million with two sureties resident within Abuja.

The arraignment is the latest twist in the lingering leadership tussle within the SDP, which intensified after a faction of the party elected Sadiq Abubakar Gombe as substantive national chairman during the party’s national convention held in Bauchi on May 9, 2026.

The emergence of Abubakar further deepened divisions within the party, with rival camps laying claim to the leadership of the opposition platform.

Speaking after the court session, Abubakar said the decision to prosecute Gabam was part of efforts to “sanitise” the party and free it from alleged external influence.

“We are confident that the judiciary will do justice to our millions of members,” he said.

According to him, the party had earlier petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to investigate and prosecute Gabam over alleged financial misconduct, but no action was taken.

“He squandered the party’s funds during his tenure between 2022 and 2023,” Abubakar alleged.

The crisis within the SDP has in recent weeks taken a violent dimension. At the weekend, suspected thugs allegedly loyal to Gabam reportedly vandalised the gate of the party’s national secretariat in Abuja amid the intensifying power struggle.

The internal wrangling has continued to raise concerns among party faithful and observers over the future stability of the SDP ahead of the 2027 general elections.