SDP Moves to Reconcile Factions After Court Affirms Gabam as Chairman

The National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Alhaji Shehu Gabam, has said the party was intensifying reconciliation efforts to heal internal divisions and reposition itself ahead of looming electoral activities, following his recognition by the court and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Gabam, who spoke in an interview, on a National Television on Tuesday night framed the ongoing internal disputes as part of a broader political reality, noting that crises within parties are often unavoidable but can ultimately strengthen institutions if properly managed.

According to hy, “there is no party that is perfect in terms of administration. Every party that is a force to reckon with is has its own internal wranglings. Parties that have no internal wranglings have noy started in terms of strengthening the party. Crisis strengthen political parties. It also defines individual behavior and roles in determining how strong the party can be,”

While admitting that such conflicts can sometimes lead to fragmentation, he maintained that they are largely driven by competing interests that evolve over time.

According to him, “It does break up parties sometimes. But usually politicians fight along interests. When the interest shifts, a lot of things shift as well. So I believe it is in good spirit and the judiciary have done justice to the entire case. I don’t know if you have gone through the certified true copy. I brought a copy for you, you can read through and see what they have done,”

Against this backdrop, the SDP chairman disclosed that the party leadership is actively engaging aggrieved members in a bid to restore unity.

“There are inevitables in all political parties. There are people that are perpetually unsatisfied for one reason or the other. But I believe the majority of us are ready to move on, to move the party on. First there is the very right timetable that every party is facing. No party is excluded from that challenge of meeting with the INEC timetable. So it’s about congresses, primaries and election within one month. So whether anyone likes it or not you have to deal with that fact,” he said.

He emphasised that the reconciliation push is critical, given the tight timelines imposed by the electoral process and the need for unity to meet those demands.

While reaffirming his leadership position, Gabam insisted that the court ruling had put to rest questions about the party’s leadership.

“No court court judgment removed me. I am still the chairman. If you through the judgement page by page you would really doff your hat for the judiciary. You have to give them credit because the judgement is very thorough,” he said.

He added that resolving internal disputes remains an ongoing process within the party.

“We will continue to deal with issues as a party. We will continue to deal with conflicting issues as a party. I will continue to see how we can keep the political space very active. It is very condensed right now. A lot of issues are going on. It is out responsibility sometimes as politicians to eschew some of these bitterness and ensure we have a stable democracy otherwise everybody will pay for it,” Gabam noted.

The SDP National chairman also expressed confidence in the independence of the judiciary and INEC, describing their actions as consistent with due process.

“I appreciate that the judiciary and INEC acted absolutely independently of not they would have done a different thing even though INEC that I know over the years respect court orders. So it’s something they are used to. It’s not new. So people can generate what they want to generate. It is a legal decision that they have taken within the ambits of their own powers and in compliance with the judgement. Three is nothing more than that,” he said.

Gabam acknowledged that the internal crisis had affected the party’s strength but stressed that efforts were underway to address the situation.

“Certainly the crisis has affected the party strength and capacity and that is why we are condensing the problem to ensure that we meet up with the demands and requirements that is needed at this critical time. But it’s not just the SDP. Like I said the Electoral Act as amended has affected all parties including the ruling party. Everybody must be up and doing to meet up with the entire challenges affecting our democratic space. So many insinuations are going on, so many emotions and sentiments are moving on but we have to deal with things as politicians otherwise it would be a great disservice to the country,” he said.

On reports of possible opposition coalitions, the SDP chairman dismissed claims that the party was part of any such arrangement, particularly a recent meeting in Ibadan.

“We have not attended a coalition of opposition parties. We have not authorized anybody to represent us there. There was no SDP at the meeting of the coalition of political parties in Ibadan, Oyo State,” he said.

He reiterated the party’s preference to remain independent while leaving the door open for future alliances if necessary.

“We have been standing alone. We have been facing the consequences. Of you don’t stand alone it means you do not have the capacity to drive the system. If you always key in that means you have issues to deal with. SDP is known to stand on its own when it is necessary looking at the political and futuristic situation of the country. If there is any need for us to do alliance we would do it. We were not part of it. There was no discussion that I know in terms of being part of it,” he added.

Gabam, however, stressed that reconciliation remains the party’s immediate priority.

“We in the party SDP are reaching out. We are trying to reconcile. Majority of us are on the same page. The primary interest is to build the party. That is the cardinal objective. To ensure we are together, we consolidate with the forces ready to work so we can meet up with the challenges,” he said.