Agunloye accused Mallam Nasir El-Rufai of attempting to sabotage the appointment process of the party’s NWC due to his interests
Crisis Rocks SDP Over NWC Appointments Amid El-Rufai’s Entry
The Social Democratic Party (SDP), once hailed as Nigeria’s most stable opposition party, is now embroiled in internal conflict following the controversial appointment of three new members to its National Working Committee (NWC).
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, had last week announced that Senator Ugochukwu Uba, Alhaji Shehu Musa, and Bello Ado Hussaini were appointed as Deputy National Chairman (South), Deputy National Chairman (North), and National Financial Secretary, respectively.
According to Aiyenigba, the appointments were made in accordance with Article 12.5 of the SDP’s amended 2022 constitution and were approved during an NWC meeting chaired by the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam.
The announcement, seen by political observers as a strategic move to consolidate the party ahead of the 2027 general elections, has instead triggered a wave of controversy, exposing deep fractures within the party’s leadership.
Just days later, Gabam—who was said to have presided over the meeting—issued a public denial. Speaking through the party’s Deputy National Secretary, Muhammad Biu, the chairman dismissed the appointments as “false, unauthorized, and not reflective of any official NWC decision.” He further asserted that no constitutional meeting to fill the vacant positions had been held.
Gabam’s rebuttal has been sharply contested by the party’s National Secretary, Olu Agunloye, who insisted that the appointments were legitimate. In a counterstatement, Agunloye revealed that 11 out of the 12 NWC members attended the May 15 meeting, and eight voted in favor of the appointments.
He accused Gabam, along with two dissenting NWC members and newly defected former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, of attempting to sabotage the process due to their personal interests.
“There were 12 NWC members in total, and 11 were present. Eight supported the appointments, while Gabam and two others opposed. Their failure to impose their will has led to this unnecessary disruption,” Agunloye alleged, also stating that El-Rufai “amounts to nothing in his own ward.”
To further legitimize the appointments, Agunloye has formally notified the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in a letter dated May 16. The correspondence confirms the appointment of Uba, Abubakar, and Bello for a four-year term or until the next National Convention, whichever comes first.
The crisis, now public and intensifying, threatens to drag the SDP into the same turmoil that has plagued the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) since the 2023 general elections. Once regarded as a beacon of internal stability, the SDP may now be on the verge of joining the ranks of divided opposition parties.
As the 2027 elections draw closer, the ability of the SDP to resolve this conflict and project a united front remains to be seen. Read More
