A Chief Magistrates’ Court in the Federal Capital Territory has ordered the remand of former National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Shehu Gabam, over allegations of criminal breach of trust, forgery, and misappropriation of party funds.
Gabam was arraigned alongside Chukwuma Ogbonna and Uchechukwu Ogbonna before Chief Magistrate Amauche Onyedium in suit number DCC/10/2026.
The case stems from a direct criminal complaint filed by the current SDP National Chairman, Sadiq Abubakar, who accused the former leadership of financial misconduct involving hundreds of millions of naira.
According to the complaint, the action was initiated under provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, after previous petitions to security agencies allegedly failed to yield results.
Sadiq Abubakar disclosed that an internal audit initially indicated that the party generated about ₦32 million, with nearly ₦31 million allegedly mismanaged.
However, further investigations reportedly uncovered transactions amounting to about ₦740 million routed through two undisclosed bank accounts, raising serious concerns over transparency and accountability.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, the court granted Shehu Gabam bail in the sum of ₦3 million, with two sureties required to own landed property within Abuja.
Chief Magistrate Amauche Onyedium also ordered the defendant to surrender his international passport to the court registrar pending the conclusion of the trial.
The matter has been adjourned to May 25, 2026, for further hearing.
The SDP leadership revealed that prior petitions had been submitted to agencies including the:
Nigeria Police Force
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission
State Security Service
However, the party claimed that no decisive action was taken, prompting it to initiate direct legal proceedings.
Gabam’s legal troubles follow his suspension on June 24, 2025, alongside other party officials over allegations of financial misconduct and abuse of office.
A disciplinary committee later investigated the matter, after which the party’s National Working Committee reportedly adopted a white paper that led to the expulsion of Gabam and others for alleged gross misconduct.
Several SDP state chairmen also backed the decision, accusing the former leadership of diverting close to ₦1 billion belonging to the party.
The current leadership of the Social Democratic Party maintains that the legal action is part of broader efforts to restore transparency, discipline, and accountability within the party, as the opposition platform seeks to rebuild public trust.
