The crisis in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Friday aggravated as the Forum of State Chairmen backed the suspension of the National Chairman, Alhaji Shehu Gabam.
The party’s national chairman and two other National Working Committee (NWC) members were suspended last Tuesday by some members of the NWC over allegations of financial misappropriation.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Rufus Aiyenigba, signed the statement that suspended Gabam.
Briefing journalists in Abuja on Friday, the SDP Lagos state chairman and chairman of Forum of State Chairmen, Hon. Femi Olaniyi Ferari, said they were in support of the suspension of the National Chairman, and that the national chairman and the others suspended should be probed.
“We fully support the National Working Committee’s decision to suspend the National Chairman, Shehu Musa Gabam; the National Auditor, Clarkson Nnadi; and the National Youth Leader, Ogbonna Chukuwma, as this aligns with the sentiments expressed by our grassroots members.
“The fight against corruption must be genuine and openness is vital in the SDP. Given our country’s current situation and the present government’s maladministration, we must uphold our principles of social justice and zero tolerance for corruption,” the group stated.
The Forum expressed concerns about what it called Gabam’s “unilateral and autocratic leadership style, particularly in his interactions with the State chairmen and members of the National Working Committee.”
The group therefore called for an immediate investigation into all the allegations in a transparent and honest manner.