An FCT Magistrate Court has adjourned until June 17 for continuation of hearing in the alleged N626 million fraud case involving former National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Alhaji Shehu Gabam.
Chief Magistrate Amauche Onyedum adjourned the matter on Monday after ruling that documents presented by the prosecution were admissible as evidence.
The court dismissed objections raised by counsel to the defendants and held that the documents complied with provisions of the Evidence Act.
Speaking with journalists after the proceedings in Abuja, SDP National Chairman, Prof. Abubakar Gombe, said the party presented bank statements, disciplinary committee reports, letters of invitation, and other financial documents linked to the allegations against Gabam.
Gombe alleged that some of the documents were connected to companies used in transactions involving party funds during Gabam’s tenure as chairman.
He said the defendant was granted bail in the sum of N3 million with conditions including the submission of his international passport and two sureties with landed property in Abuja.
Gabam was arraigned on May 12 over alleged misappropriation of party funds between 2022 and 2023.
Gombe maintained that the party followed due process in suspending and expelling Gabam over allegations of financial misconduct and constitutional breaches.
He recalled that the crisis began on June 24, 2025, after allegations of financial misappropriation, constitutional breaches and other infractions were levelled against Gabam and some members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
He said the party set up a disciplinary and investigative panel chaired by a retired Air Vice Marshal to examine the allegations.
“The committee sat for 14 working days and invited all affected persons, but some of them refused to appear before the panel,” Gombe said.
He said that several prominent Nigerians later intervened and proposed a peaceful resolution that would allow Gabam to resign voluntarily while petitions already submitted to security agencies would be withdrawn.
However, he said the arrangement eventually collapsed.
Gombe further accused Gabam and his loyalists of storming the SDP national secretariat on May 7, 2026, allegedly accompanied by armed security operatives and political thugs.
According to him, offices were vandalised during the incident while sensitive party documents were allegedly taken away.
“Invasion of the national secretariat with armed men and thugs was completely unacceptable,” he said, adding that the development raised serious concerns about internal democracy and political intolerance.
The SDP leader said that the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) validly ratified his emergence as national chairman during its March 2026 meeting and also approved Gabam’s suspension and expulsion.
He said the meeting complied fully with the Electoral Act and provisions of the party constitution, stressing that certified documents relating to the proceedings had already been tendered before the court.
Gombe also lamented the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) refusal to monitor the party’s convention despite receiving the required 21-day notice.
He alleged that the electoral body instead monitored what he described as a “kangaroo gathering” in Abuja under heavy security protection.
The SDP chairman questioned the deployment of hundreds of policemen to the meeting, warning that such actions could undermine public confidence in Nigeria’s democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Despite the deepening crisis, Gombe said the party remained open to reconciliation and peaceful settlement outside the courtroom if all parties agreed to follow lawful procedures.
According to him, the court case was not about leadership struggle but allegations of criminal diversion of party funds and constitutional violations.
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