Police summon SDP leaders over leadership crisis

The leadership crisis within Nigeria's Social Democratic Party (SDP) has escalated, with police reportedly summoning members of the National Working Committee (NWC). The invitations are linked to an alleged attempt to seize control of the party's national headquarters in Abuja.

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I was told the SDP leadership had been invited by the police following the failed attempt to take over our party headquarters. I didn’t receive any such invitation personally, but I realise all members of the NWC were invited.

SDP National Chairman Sadiq Gombe confirmed he was informed of the police invitation, though he personally did not receive a formal notice. He stated that all NWC members were affected by the summons, which stems from the ongoing internal dispute and a failed move to take over the party secretariat. Gombe asserted that the party had previously petitioned the Inspector-General of Police regarding alleged fraudulent financial crimes amounting to N626 million against the expelled national chairman, Gabam.

Gombe expressed disappointment that the party's petitions to various security agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Department of State Services, had not yielded results. He questioned the rationale behind the new police invitations, emphasizing that the matter had already been escalated. The chairman also noted that individuals involved had been given opportunities for a fair hearing through a disciplinary committee but allegedly refused to participate, leading to their expulsion based on a white paper review.

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I want to assure you that we are always ready. The police don’t even need to invite us. When this thing happened, we wrote a letter to the Inspector-General of Police. We asked him to investigate the fraudulent and financial crimes against the expelled national chairman to the tune of N626m.

Reiterating that internal party affairs are the exclusive domain of political parties, as affirmed by the Supreme Court, Gombe rejected the notion that external bodies like the Independent National Electoral Commission could dictate party leadership. He stressed that the party's constitution and electorate were paramount, and that those involved acted as if they were above the law.

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The committee sat for 14 days in our national headquarters. Unfortunately, Gabam and the national youth leader felt they are above the law, constitution of the party, and the electorate. They refused to appear before the disciplinary committee set up to give them