The National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Shehu Gabam, has expressed concerns that the Nigerian judiciary is encroaching on the statutory responsibilities of political parties and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Gabam made this statement on Monday while speaking as a guest on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television.
Over the past two years, political stakeholders have raised concerns that judges in the country are overburdened with post-election petitions, many of which escalate to the apex court. However, Gabam maintained that this trend was abnormal.
“We are looking to build a party that will look like the ANC in South Africa. We are running away from the crisis because every movement has its own virus. So if you don’t have a strong antidote to that virus, you better maintain the status quo,” he said.
“Make sure that you pilot the affairs of the party up to the point of elections or primaries where people will be properly elected without the interference of the judiciary.
“Because these days, functions of parties have been taken by the judiciary. Functions of INEC have also been taken by the judiciary. So we have to be very careful how we navigate through this difficult period that we are in our democratic journey.”
When asked whether former Vice President Atiku Abubakar plans to leave the Peoples Democratic Party to align with the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, Gabam refrained from making a definitive statement.
“Well, I won’t say that until we get there. The SDP is an excellent political platform for any career politician. We abide by the rules.
“We are very strict and ensure there is deterrence. Nobody is indispensable as far as the party is concerned. Once you breach the law, the law will take its course,” he stated.
He also praised El-Rufai, describing him as a valuable political asset.
“Mallam El-Rufai is an asset. You know better than that. He is a workaholic and we believe that he will add value to the SDP. We don’t have a monopoly on knowledge and wisdom. We need people with extra capacity to add value to what we are doing.
“No party knows it all. When you have a convergence of assets of people that believe in the future of Nigeria, believe in the supremacy of the institution, that can punish people, create deterrence and openings, then you have a party that you can be proud of.”
Addressing reports that he is among key strategists in ongoing coalition talks, Gabam distanced himself from such negotiations, explaining that his role as party chairman prevents him from being directly involved.
“I am a chairman of a political party. I’m not supposed to be part of all these group discussions going on because they have their own conflicting interests embedded in those meetings. But the moment they make up their mind that this is their decision and want to join the SDP, the party will welcome them 100 per cent,” he said.
