All affected five, are top members of the factional National Working Committee (NWC) led by Adamu Abubakar Modibbo, a group that emerged on July 22 after announcing the dissolution of the Shehu Gabam-led NWC.
The leadership crisis rocking the Social Democratic Party (SDP) took a new turn on Tuesday as a Magistrate court in Keffi, Nasarawa State, remanded five key loyalists of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai — an incident that has widened the gulf between rival factions of the party.
All affected five, are top members of the factional National Working Committee (NWC) led by Adamu Abubakar Modibbo, a group that emerged on July 22 after announcing the dissolution of the Shehu Gabam-led NWC.
The Modibbo faction, which openly aligns with El-Rufai, has vowed to reshape the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Those ordered into custody pending a bail hearing on Friday include Nuradeen Bisala, chairman of the Federal Capital Territory chapter of the party; Humphrey Onwukaeze, deputy national chairman; Eluwa Ifeanyi Henry, national youth leader; Chief Solsuema Osaro, national legal adviser; and Dr. Ekpenyong Ambo, national secretary and former Cross River SDP chairman.
But the legal troubles facing the Modibbo camp have thrown the SDP further into chaos, exposing the deepening fault lines between factions vying for control.
Speaking to the media, Ambassador Judith Shu’aibu, spokesperson for the Modibbo group, blamed the arrests on the Gabam-led NWC, alleging that they falsely reported a break-in at the party’s national secretariat.
“Police went to investigate but found no evidence. Anyone can visit the secretariat and see for themselves,” she said.
Shu’aibu, who described the arrests as both unlawful and alarming, added, “Their next court appearance is Friday,” before accusing authorities of deliberately denying bail. “This is not justice, this is kidnap,” she said.
She further dismissed the claims against the faction as propaganda. “They’ve been pushing false narratives online to justify these arrests. This is all an attempt to discredit the new NWC.”
While tensions between political factions are common in party politics, the current battle within the SDP appears more entrenched, with court proceedings now adding a legal dimension to what had been a war of press releases and parallel party meetings.
Earlier, the media reported that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) expelled former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, for 30 years.
This was announced in a statement issued on Monday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba.
According to the SDP’s National Working Committee (NWC), the decision aligns with the party’s constitution, manifesto, ideology, and internal regulations, as well as the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act, which grant political parties the exclusive right to determine their membership.
The SDP also cautioned its members nationwide, as well as the general public, against engaging with Mallam Nasir El-Rufai in any political capacity, stating that he is not a member of the party and does not represent its interests at any level or for any purpose.
The party also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other relevant agencies to recognise El-Rufai’s non-member status and his ineligibility for party membership until July 28, 2055.
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