Former Jigawa State governor and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sule Lamiɗo, has threatened to take legal action against the party if he is not granted access to purchase the nomination form to contest for the position of National Chairman ahead of the party’s national convention scheduled for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Lamiɗo, who spoke with newsmen at the PDP National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja, yesterday, said his attempt to obtain the form was frustrated despite arriving at the secretariat with supporters to make the purchase.
According to him, when he approached the National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, and the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, both claimed they had no knowledge of the availability, location, or distribution of the forms.
He described the situation as “strange and unacceptable”, insisting that by party tradition and constitutional procedure, nomination forms are always sold at the national headquarters.
Recall that during the party’s 102nd National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on August 25, the PDP resolved to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, while the position of National Chairman was allocated to the North. Subsequently, Northern PDP leaders further micro-zoned the chairmanship slot to the North-West zone.
Over the weekend, Northern PDP governors, led by Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, alongside other leaders, endorsed former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki (SAN), as the consensus candidate for the position.
However, stakeholders loyal to Lamiɗo rejected the endorsement, saying due process and internal consultation were ignored. There are also reports that FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, is backing former Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, for the same position.
The former governor said the process lacked internal democracy: “If there are consultations, there can be consensus. But if there are no consultations, then we are not united. The zone which I come from never met. Meetings were scheduled, but were preempted. So there was no agreed position”, he stated.
Lamiɗo insisted that the refusal to sell him the form is a deliberate attempt to shut him out, warning that if he is denied the opportunity to contest, he will seek redress in court. “I am here to buy my form. If I don’t get the form, I will go to court. Simple. The PDP should be able to organise its own house and operate based on its constitution”.
He stressed that the survival of the party depended on internal fairness and discipline. “If we fight ourselves, we will lose. Our opponents are outside, APC. For us to defeat them, we must respect our rules and run a disciplined party”.
Lamiɗo dismissed suggestions of factional conflict, saying the matter remains a “family disagreement” that must be resolved properly to avoid damaging the party’s unity and electoral prospects.
The PDP, which governed Nigeria from 1999 to 2015, will elect a new national chairman at its national convention slated for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
At its 102nd National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in August, the party zoned the 2027 presidential ticket to the South and, by tradition, reserved the chairmanship for the North.
The position was further micro-zoned to the north-west, with former governors Ahmed Maƙarfi (Kaduna), Lamiɗo and ex-minister of special duties and intergovernmental affairs, Kabiru Turaki, among those rumoured to be eyeing the chairmanship role.
