National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, has explained why a Magistrate Court sitting in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, adjourned the alleged financial misappropriation case against the party’s former National Chairman, Shehu Musa Gabam, to August 17, 2026.
DAILY POST reports that Gabam was scheduled to appear before the court on Monday over allegations of financial misappropriation involving more than N34 million.
However, speaking with journalists after the proceedings, Abubakar said the case could not go on because the court did not sit due to unforeseen circumstances.
According to him, the court apologised to the parties before fixing August 17 for the continuation of the prosecution.
“The court announced that it was not sitting because of some circumstances. They apologised and asked us to take another date, which is August 17, for the prosecution of the case to continue,” he said.
Responding to concerns that the matter was taking too long, the SDP chairman insisted that previous hearings had proceeded without unnecessary delays.
He noted that the prosecution team, its lawyers and representatives of Zenith Bank, who had been subpoenaed to produce the party’s bank statements, were present in court before learning that the sitting had been cancelled.
“There wasn’t a time that the court did not sit right from the beginning of the case to date. We were here today with our lawyers as early as 8 a.m. Even Zenith Bank, which was subpoenaed to bring the statement of account, came with the documents, but since the court did not sit, they had to leave with them,” he said.
Abubakar maintained that the prosecution had assembled sufficient evidence to support the allegations against the defendants.
“We have done our part by making sure we have all the necessary evidence against the accused for criminal breach of trust, misappropriation, malfeasance and financial crimes. The Zenith Bank statement is one of our key pieces of evidence, and we are hopeful it will be tendered at the next sitting,” he added.
Expressing confidence in the judiciary, he said the party expected justice to be served once the trial resumed.
“Our prayer is that the court will sit on the adjourned date, receive our witnesses and allow all parties to present their evidence. We have no doubt the court will do justice because the facts are glaring,” he said.
Abubakar further alleged that an examination of the party’s 2024 bank records revealed multiple payments to a single individual who, according to him, had no financial responsibility within the party.
“If you look at the 2024 statement of account, you will see that one individual who was not in charge of party finances received payments 75 times within the year under review. On some days, three or four payments were made to the same person, who was neither a contractor nor the treasurer. He was just a youth leader. It is astonishing,” he alleged.
He said the SDP leadership initiated the legal action as part of efforts to restore accountability and integrity within the party.
According to him, strengthening internal democracy and transparency in political parties is essential to improving Nigeria’s leadership and democratic process.
On reports suggesting that Gabam was seeking reinstatement as SDP national chairman, Abubakar dismissed the claims, insisting that the party’s National Executive Committee had already expelled him and that the decision remained binding.
“Political party leadership and internal affairs are exclusive to the party. INEC does not determine who leads a political party, neither do the courts. On March 9, 2026, the National Executive Committee suspended and expelled Shehu Musa Gabam and others. The party has taken its decision, and nobody will change that decision,” he stated.