The crisis rocking the Social Democratic Party, SDP, deepened on Tuesday as the National Working Committee has suspended its national chairman, Shehu Gabam.
Also suspended were two other members over allegations of gross financial misconduct.
This came a few hours after thugs invaded the NWC meeting at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
The spokesperson of the party, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba announcement the suspension in a statement.
The other members suspended are Nze Nnadi Clarkson, National Auditor, and Uchechukwu Chukwuma, National Youth Leader of the party.
According to the party, the suspension of the trio takes effect immediately.
"In exercise of its exclusive powers as guaranteed in Article 19.1, 19.3(i), and 19.5 of the Party Constitution (2022 as amended), the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has approved the immediate suspension of the National Chairman of the Party, Alhaji Shehu Musa Gbam, along with two members of the National Working Committee (NWC), namely Nze Nnadi Clarkson, National Auditor, and Uchechukwu Chukwuma, National Youth Leader, over grave allegations of gross financial misconduct, embezzlement, misappropriation, and diversion of party funds.
"The decision followed a resolution of a meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC), where overwhelming evidence was presented linking the suspended officials to a series of unauthorised financial transactions, personal enrichment schemes, and movement of funds from the party’s accounts without necessary approvals of the NWC," the statement reads.
SDP is one of the political parties being considered by the coalition of opposition politicians who are working to unseat President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is a key member of the SDP after he dumped the All Progressives Congress, APC.
His entrance appears to have worsened the crisis in the SDP, with some of the members opposed to the coalition movement.