2019: How SDP will shock APC, PDP —Gabam

Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam is the Interim National Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), having dumped the main opposition political party in Nigeria, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which he was part of from its formative stage in 1998 when party politics was regrouping in the country. Recently, he was in Bauchi to sell the ideas and manifesto of the emerging third force in the political scene of the country, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and while fielding questions from newsmen, he described the PDP as a dead-end party that is irredeemable for Nigerians.

Why are you in Bauchi?

I am in Bauchi State as part of a nation-wide tour of reawakening Nigerians on the ideology of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) which is an emerging political force in the political scene of the country, having received emmasse topmost politicians in the country who are ready to reshape the political situation of the country. I am also here to meet with stakeholders and party faithful to build the party structure ahead of the 2019 general elections.

You are now talking of the SDP, what happened to the PDP which you were a part of over the years?

Well, as you know very well, Gabam  was the National Campaign Coordinator for the Professor Tunde Adeniran Campaign Organisation for the office of the National Chairman of the PDP in the December 2017 National Convention of the PDP. After the National Convention, we have to leave the PDP in a prostrate state because any attempt at reviving it would have be futile as the aspirations of the founding fathers of the party had been bastardised by those running the affairs of the party at present. Those at the helm of affairs were not there when the PDP was formed but are now pursuing their selfish interests hence it would be difficult for the party to regain its lost glory.

•  Why Obasanjo will not join us in SDP —Professor Tunde Adeniran
  

On what ideology is the SDP built?

As you know, the SDP has one of the most transparent personalities in the history of the country, someone who has the pedigree of honesty, integrity and openness in the person of Chief OluFalae. It is on this principles that the party is built and to ensure that there is transparency in all the electoral processes of the party, it would be built on the Option A4 for transparency, which worked during the military era of General Ibrahim Babangida when the country practiced a two-party system which produced the widely acclaimed free and fair general elections that produced late Chief MoshoodAbiola as elected President of Nigeria cutting across ethno-religious barriers for the first time in the history of the country. We have looked at all the political parties available in Nigeria and found that the SDP is still credible, we find their constitution and manifestoes amiable and friendly to the Nigeria people. Even though we have set a committee to review the manifestos of the SDP to be in tandem with the current reality that we have  to cover some of  the challenges and excesses that we are having today as a nation so that we can have a peaceful and amiable country.

Do you think that the SDP will be able to compete with other stronger political parties in the country?

That is the reason we are in Bauchi, to sell the SDP, which is not a new political per se but has a history of a two-party system in Nigeria, while the other party registered with it then, the National Republican Convention (NRC) has fizzled out, but the SDP has been able to come back into the political scene and  is still existing today, this is to show you that the party has all it takes to compete with any other political party in the country. By the time we finish the restructuring of the party, it will be the party to beat in the country.

Come 2019, do you have any political aspirations?

Insha Allah you will see Shehu Gabam playing a major political role in 2019, as you can see the turn out of the crowd here, this is a pointer that people like us have a major role to play in 2019. By the grace of God, we will not hesitate to do whatever the people want us to do, our aspiration is to see that democracy thrives in the country at all levels.