As the National leadership of Social Democratic Party (SDP) contemplates merger with some political parties, the Kogi State Chairman of the party, Moses Peter Oricha, has described the purported Congress held by some groups in the state as illegal, null and void, and has no effect on his leadership of the party in the state.
Speaking on Thursday in Lokoja , the Chairman noted that it is a criminal violation of due process to have gone ahead with a “phantom” Congress, despite a subsisting suit before a court of competent jurisdiction over the matter.
According to him, his tenure will expire in April, 2026 and wondered why the rush to conduct an illegal Congress.
He commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) and the security agencies for not attending the Congress, which produced Ahmed Atta as Chairman, Abdulrahaman Idris (Sofather) as Secretary among other executives of the party.
The chairman also said “we urged the general public, security agencies, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to disregard this purported congress organised by some individuals masquerading as members of the party.
“It has just come to my notice that some ghost individuals claiming to be members of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in Kogi State organized a state Congress today Wednesday 12, 2025.
“This is not only laughable but criminal in a modern democratic setting. These individuals are not only faceless but are also being sponsored by their paymasters—not just for their selfish interests but also to cause chaos in our party, which we built from scratch.
“The general public should not take these individuals seriously with their caricature of a state congress, which cannot stand the test of time because nobody knows them in SDP Kogi State.
“I have written to the Independent National Electoral Commission, and copied the Department of State Services, DSS, and the Commissioner of Police, urging them to disregard this charade called Congress.
“I am the authentic chairman of SDP in Kogi State, and we will not allow intruders who are working hard to destroy our party, which we have built over the years. This congress, held today Wednesday, is null and void and cannot stand.”
Oricha recalled that the congress of the present executive under his leadership, held on 9th April 2022, remains valid under the SDP constitution.
