Lamido heads to court over exclusion from PDP chairmanship race as Bode George faults former governor
Former governor of Jigawa, Sule Lamido, has begun legal proceedings to challenge his exclusion from obtaining the nomination form for the chairmanship of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Sources close to Lamido confirmed that he met with his lawyers on Tuesday and has sworn to an affidavit attached to the originating summons, which is expected to be filed before the Federal High Court today (Wednesday).
It was gathered that the legal team plans to approach the court with an ex-parte motion seeking to halt the screening process for former minister of special duties and intergovernmental affairs, Kabir Tanimu Turaki.
Turaki remains the sole candidate for the chairmanship position after being endorsed by PDP governors from the northern states and other senior party figures.
He submitted his nomination form on Monday.
Lamido had vowed on Monday to seek legal redress after allegedly being denied access to the nomination form.
His move has deepened the crisis threatening to derail preparations for the PDP’s national convention scheduled for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo state.
The party’s leadership has dismissed Lamido’s threats of litigation, insisting it will not allow “disgruntled elements” to derail preparations for the convention.
In what appears to be a response to the escalating tensions, the national convention organising committee announced the indefinite postponement of the screening exercise for aspirants initially slated for Tuesday, October 28.
Lamido’s legal challenge adds to a series of hurdles already confronting the opposition party.
However, a member of PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Bode George, has criticised the former governor, Sule Lamido, over his threat to take legal action against the party.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Chief George said while every member of the party, including Lamido, has the right to contest for any elective position, resorting to court action without first exhausting the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms would be inappropriate and punishable.
“This party is not owned by any individual. Before taking the party to court, you must exhaust the internal dynamics of the party. If you fail to do that, you can be punished,” George said.
The PDP leader emphasised that although the party encourages consensus-building in its internal elections, such arrangements do not prevent any member from contesting.
“This has been part of the practice in the PDP. The fact that some leaders converge to support one person as a consensus candidate doesn’t mean others cannot compete,” he explained.
He noted that the consensus option is meant to make the process more peaceful and less divisive but remains optional.
“You want to make the process seamless and non-combative. We’ve done this before, but the party has never told anyone they cannot contest. Governor Sule Lamido has the right to compete,” he said.
Chief George reiterated that Lamido was free to pick the nomination form and stand for election, adding that the final decision on who emerges as national chairman rests with the delegates at the convention.
“He can get the form, fill it, and appear on the convention day. We will vote. That is the practice in our party,” he said.
