By Henry Umoru, ABUJA
The crisis rocking the Social Democratic Party, SDP, has taken a new twist as the Dr. Abubakar Gombe-led National Working Committee, NWC, disassociated itself from what it described as “illegal gathering scheduled to hold on Friday, September 5, 2025, at Okwadike Events Centre, Venessa Hotel, Owerri”.
The said summit tagged “SDP Political Conference Summit” was organised by the Adamu Abubakar Modibbo-led National Working Committee, NWC.
A statement on Friday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, the SDP National Working Committee said that the summit being organised by ”some unrepentant renegades, whose overarching objective is to misinform and decieve our party members into a forced alliance with the ADC coalition agenda, as being promoted by their representative, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai.”
The SDP National Publicity Secretary enjoined, the public to note that “the former Kaduna State governor does not have the mandate to represent the interest of the party, or speak on our behalf in anyway.
“The National Working Committee, NWC, on July 28, 2025, in exercise of its exclusive powers as enshrined in the SDP Constitution 2022 (as Amended), expelled and banished Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai for 30 years.
“His gang of dissidents led by Adamu Abubakar Modibbo, a former Caretaker Chairman of Gombe State, and seven dissidents are also no longer members of the party.
“Members of the SDP, particularly in Imo State, the entire South-East, and the general public are therefore advised to disregard the scheduled “SDP Political Conference Summit” as an illegal gathering being dubiously presented in the name of the Social Democratic Party, SDP.
“The so-called political conference summit is nothing but a ploy to deceive the South-East SDP members into the ADC Coalition, and to confuse and misinform the unsuspecting members of the public pertaining to the true status of the SDP with the ADC coalition and its apparent burden of situational unsease.
“INEC and all relevant security agencies are duly aware of the non-SDP member status of Mallam El-Rufai, Modibbo, and seven others.
“It has been unequivocally stated that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) is not in any way part of the ADC and has no relationship whatsoever, with their coalition agenda.
“The Party remains committed to its founding ideology and manifesto and is presently strengthening its structures at the sub-national and national levels, to strongly position it for its much expected role as the nation’s credible alternative political party for national redemption.”
Factions dissolved
Recall that fresh crisis rocked the SDP on 25th July as the Alhaji Shehu Gabam and Dr. Sadiq Abubakar led factions were disolved to pave way for a new NWC.
A new dimension took place that day at Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja as a new NWC led by Adamu Modibo emerged to lead the party.
The new leadership emerged during the emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting where 23 state chairmen including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were in attendance.
While Gabam was the National Chairman of the party prior to his suspension, he was thereafter replaced by Dr. Sadiq Abubakar in an acting capacity.
Speaking shortly after emerging as the Acting National Chairman of the party, Modibo had said, “it is a great challenge and we are ready for it. As you are aware the party is in crisis, I believe we are going to do our best to see that we unite this party, all others actions instituted by the former NWC members of the two actions are hereby stepped aside.
“We are drawing a line, we are going to constitute a newly disciplinary committee and reconciliation committee to look at the possibility of reconciling the waring factions and discipline the culprit. I would like to thank all the NEC members for having the trust in us.
“All standing committees are hereby dissolved and we are going to constitute a new committee pending when the NWC set up a new one.”
Factions…
But in a swift reaction same day to the development, Dr Sadiq Abubakar-led NWC distanced itself from what it described as a purported NEC meeting convened by some members of the party’s Forum of State Chairmen, describing the move as illegal, unconstitutional, and not sanctioned by the NWC.
Reacting to the development, the National Secretary of the party, Dr Olu Agunloye who is with Abubakar’s faction described the NEC meeting as illegal and irregular.
In a statement, Agunloye had said: “This is to let members of the National Executive Committee, NEC of our great Party (SDP) know that the National Working Committee (NWC) at its meeting held today, Thursday July 24, 2025, passed a resolution, dissociating itself and the national leadership of the Party from the so-called NEC meeting being called for Friday, 25 July 2025 in Abuja.
“The NWC urges all our elected federal and state legislators, Zonal Officers and State Chairmen, to disregard this illegal and irregular ‘NEC meeting.’
Recall that the NWC of the SDP had on 24th June suspended Gabam, just as the party also suspended two members of the NWC namely: Nze Nnadi Clarkson, National Auditor, and Uchechukwu Chukwuma, National Youth Leader.
According to a statement then by SDP National Publicity Secretary, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, the decision followed a resolution of a meeting of the NWC.
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