A former governor of Jigawa State and former foreign affairs minister, Sule Lamido, has vowed to take legal action against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) if he is prevented from obtaining the nomination form to contest the party’s national chairmanship position.
On Monday, declared his intention to run for the chairmanship position.
He subsequently visited the PDP national secretariat in Abuja to purchase the form, but lamented being stranded.
He said the office of the national organising secretary — responsible for selling nomination forms — was locked.
Speaking with journalists at the PDP headquarters, Lamido claimed party officials, Umar Bature, national organising secretary, and Samuel Anyanwu, said they did not know about the sale of the form.
“I went to the office of the national organising secretary, which is normally where the forms are sold, and the office was locked,” he said.
Read Also: Court fixes date to deliver judgment in suit seeking to stop PDP convention
“I met him with the secretary of the party, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and both of them said they had no idea where the forms were or even how they were printed. So, I found it a little weird that the custodian of the system is also being locked out.”
Lamido said he was later told that the forms were now under the control of Ahmadu Fintiri, governor of Adamawa and chairman of the party’s national convention organising committee (NCOC).
“So, for me to buy the form, I have to go to Adamawa? If I don’t get the form, I’ll go to court. Simple,” he said.
The former governor described the situation as “unfortunate”, noting that the PDP should not be seen to be operating in secrecy or sidelining its members.
He dismissed questions that he had been rejected by some governors over alleged links with African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“Where were they when we fought for the party all through the last 25 years? Don’t bring up divisive issues. I don’t want to lose my composure. They met me in the PDP — all of them,” he said.
Lamido also criticised the “growing disregard for internal party procedures”, warning that the PDP risks weakening its internal democracy ahead of the 2027 general election.
“The PDP should be able to organise its own house. The only way we can win is by having a party that is disciplined. If we don’t follow our constitution and procedures, how do we win elections?” Lamido asked.
Comments are closed.