A magistrate court in Keffi, Nasarawa State has ordered the remand of five members of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) aligned with former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, in a move that has escalated the party’s internal crisis and raised allegations of political persecution.
The detained officials, who include Nuradeen Bisala (FCT SDP chairman), Humphrey Onwukaeze (deputy 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), will remain in custody until their bail hearing on Friday.
The arrests, according to a report by Daily Trust, come amid a bitter leadership struggle within the SDP following the July 22 formation of a breakaway National Working Committee (NWC) led by Adamu Abubakar Modibbo, which had declared the dissolution of the Shehu Gabam-led leadership.
The Modibbo faction, widely seen as enjoying El-Rufai’s political backing, has positioned itself as reformers determined to revitalise the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Ambassador Judith Shu’aibu, spokesperson for the Modibbo faction, has denounced the arrests as politically motivated, telling Daily Trust: “The Gabam camp orchestrated these detentions by falsely alleging a break-in at our party secretariat. The police investigation found no evidence to support these claims – the premises remain open for anyone to verify.”
Shu’aibu described the arrests as unlawful and resembling “a kidnap,” noting that the accused were denied bail and transferred to Keffi correctional facility. “Their next court appearance is Friday,” she added.
She claimed the allegations by key figures in the Gabam camp were baseless, saying, “They’ve been pushing false narratives online to justify these arrests. This is all an attempt to discredit the new NWC.”
Spear News reports that the Gabam-led faction on Monday announced the expulsion of El-Rufai from the party and banned him for 30 years, a move described by El-Rufai’s camp as illegitimate.
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