Fresh Crisis Hits PDP as Lamido, Turaki Clash Over Chairmanship
The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been plunged into a fresh crisis just weeks before its national convention, as a consensus deal for its next chairman has collapsed.
The agreement, which saw northern party governors endorse former minister Tanimu Turaki, has been publicly rejected by a rival aspirant, former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, who has threatened legal action.
The internal conflict has cast a shadow over the party’s efforts to present a united front and reorganise ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The dispute escalated on Monday when Mr Lamido arrived at the PDP’s national headquarters in Abuja to purchase a nomination form, only to find the relevant offices locked.
Speaking to journalists after the unsuccessful attempt, Mr Lamido expressed his frustration, stating that senior party officials seemed unaware of the form’s whereabouts.
“Well, let me be very clear… I came here to purchase my own form,” he said. “I went to the office of the National Organising Secretary… and the office was locked.”
He added, “I met him with the Secretary of the party, Senator Samuel Anyanwu… Both of them said they had no idea where the forms were — not even how they were printed or the kind of forms they were.”
The party’s National Secretary and National Organising Secretary, Umaru Bature, both confirmed they had not seen the nomination forms, with Mr Anyanwu calling the situation unusual.
“On the convention, I have the intention to run for the election, but we don’t know where the forms are,” Mr Anyanwu said.
Mr Bature corroborated this, stating, “I have not seen the forms since the process started, even as the Organising Secretary of the party.”
However, in a contrasting development later the same day, a camp loyal to Mr Turaki presented an acknowledgement slip confirming he had successfully submitted his nomination forms at a separate party annexe office.
A spokesman for Mr Turaki, Umar Sani, dismissed Mr Lamido’s claims, suggesting he had gone to the wrong location.
“Today is not a day for selling forms. Today is a day for the submission of forms. So if Sule Lamido went to Wadata Plaza looking for forms, he went to the wrong place,” Mr Sani stated.
The core of the disagreement lies in a consensus arrangement. Following a decision to zone the party’s chairmanship to northern Nigeria, northern PDP governors and other leaders met and endorsed Mr Turaki as their preferred candidate.
Mr Lamido has rejected this, claiming the process lacked proper consultation.
“If there are consultations, there can be consensus. But if there are no consultations, then we are not united on board,” Mr Lamido argued. “The zone which I come from has never met.”
Mr Sani, from Mr Turaki’s camp, countered this, insisting stakeholders were duly consulted. “Consultations have been done because there was a meeting… and in that meeting, even the Governor of Taraba, who was not there, was represented by a Senator. So they were all there, and the candidates were all there.”
Amid the infighting, the PDP’s National Convention Organising Committee, chaired by Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, announced the indefinite postponement of the screening of aspirants, citing “unforseen circumstances.”
The committee said it remained focused on delivering a “credible, hitch-free” convention scheduled for 15-16 November in Ibadan.
Mr Lamido warned that the party must resolve its internal issues to be a credible challenger in the next election.
“Our opponents are outside, the APC and their evil system… So, if you don’t have an organised house with a very, very organised force, how do you fight it out?” he said.
He reiterated his threat of legal recourse if unable to obtain a form, stating, “If I don’t get the form, I will go to court simply. The PDP should be able to organise its own house, to run the party based on its policies, doing the right thing at all times.”
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