Why we’re prosecuting Gabam, others— Gombe

By Jude Opara

The National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Dr. Sadiq Gombe has thrown more light into the issues that forced the party to prosecute the former National Chairman of the party, Dr. Shehu Gabam, the former National Youth Leader, Ogbonna Chukwuma and the National Auditor, Clarkson Nnadi for alleged financial misconduct.

Gombe at a news conference on Wednesday said the party suspended the trio and went further to prosecute them among other reasons to prove to Nigerians that the party is ready to preside over the affairs of the country and with the ability to right the wrongs that have plagued the country.

He explained that the former Chairman and his allies were suspended because of several anti party activities and later expelled, adding that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party ratified it.

According to him, the party abhors illegalities which means that if given the opportunity to preside over the affairs of the country, they will ensure that people were held accountable for their actions.

The SDP boss equally alleged that Shehu Gabam being a former officer of the party held back to the bank documents despite the fact that he was no longer the leader of the party. He said that it took the party going to the extent of issuing a subpeana to compel the bank to release the party’s statements of accounts to them.

“After the expulsion of the former National Chairman and his collaborators, we didn’t stop there and that is why we subjected those officials to scrutiny. We took them to court to try them for their alleged criminal activities.

“Shehu Gabam being a former signatory to our account, has our cheque book and refused to return them. We had to subpeana the bank, who in turn wrote to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to find out the authentic leaders of the party. INEC replied that we are the authentic leaders. Today, we have our statement of accounts.

“If any of you will be privy with what is here, you will shed tears and know why we are where we are. In this document, there are about 203 transactions within one year. In these 203 transactions, the erstwhile national leader alone, there are about 85 transactions in his personal name through the UBA and Zenith account that will conform with the investigation of our investigative panel that investigated them.

“And of the total quantum of money and transactions, 79% of the total money goes to only one person, Chief Ogbonna. Aside some of the transactions that are in his own company or some relations, we do not admit. So it’s very astonishing.

“In this document, in a day, there was a time in a day Ogbonna was paid four, five times. There was a time in a day he was paid three times the same amount. Let’s say one million, two hundred and forty-four thousand, one million, two hundred and forty-four, within a few minutes, the same amount to the same account. For what? No reason.

“This is what led us to where we are, and this is what triggered what ever. This is the financial statement which is managerial report of financial statement of the SDP, that the national chairman single-handedly signed the expense national chairman, single-handedly signed it as an audited report of the party, with the external auditor did the audit and certified it.

“When we stumbled on this, we realized it declared that N32m was the only money in the account under review within the year. But when the investigative panel started, they realized in two months alone, this very bank and first bank, there are N740m in this account”.

Gombe equally related the efforts the party made by even engaging the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), to also report the activities of the former national leaders of the party.

“This is a letter to the IG of police, petition against some officials of Social Democratic Party for criminal conspiracy, fraud, theft, misappropriation of the sum of 626 million naira. We wrote it on 10 July 2025, 10 July. So these are the letters of the investigation and so against the party. So we were able to get this.

“But finally, after INEC replied Zenith Bank and certified that these are the authentic leaders and the signatories to this account, then we were able to lay our hands on this 2024 or 2025. Up to now, we’re yet to receive that of 2023. And we were told even the 2023 is where the mess was. Because whatever you can find here, you can find more than 10 times of it in 2023. So this is all we are saying.

“So we decided to sue them to court so that they will be prosecuted, so that at least we show Nigerians we are set, we are ready to reset this country to ensure an SDP government in 2027 that is responsible, that is accountable, that is transparent, that is ready for the rescue mission of our dear country where we knew corruption and leaderships are being as a society, as a nation. So I want to assure you the prosecution is going on and we are not going to leave any stone unturned to make sure that they face the consequences of their actions”.

Gombe also assured that the party is putting finishing touches to the uploading of the names of its candidates for the 2027 general elections.