SDP Crisis Deepens as Gabam Faction Expels Adebayo, Agunloye, Picks Abimbola Atanda for 2027

Fresh crisis has erupted within the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as the faction led by Shehu Gabam announced the expulsion of the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, alongside former National Secretary Olu Agunloye and 11 other party officials over alleged anti-party activities.

The development came during the party’s National Convention and Presidential Primary held at the Bola Tinubu Conference Centre in Abuja, where Lagos-based businessman Abimbola Akeem Atanda emerged as the faction’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.

Delegates from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory reportedly adopted Atanda through a voice vote during the convention, which also reaffirmed Gabam as the party’s national chairman alongside members of his National Working Committee (NWC).

The Gabam-led faction said the expulsions followed findings that the affected members acted contrary to the party’s constitution and undermined internal cohesion.

Among those affected are Prof. Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, Joseph Achile Abu, Maggie Mariam Batubo, Sa’adatu Abdullahi, Abimbola Aderemi, Oguchukwu Uba, Huseesini Bello, Alabi Lekan, Rosemary Effiong, and Abubakar Modibo.

Speaking after his re-election, Gabam declared that the party had survived a major internal crisis and was now repositioned to offer Nigerians what he described as a credible political alternative ahead of 2027.

According to him, the convention symbolised the triumph of constitutional order and party discipline over division and internal conflict.

In his acceptance remarks, Atanda expressed confidence that the SDP would emerge victorious in the 2027 presidential election, insisting that Nigerians were searching for an alternative to the ruling APC government.