Ex-governor Lamido blames PDP governors for collapse of party unity
Former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, has said he dragged the Peoples Democratic Party to court to reclaim his right to contest for leadership roles, insisting the move was a personal fight for dignity rather than an attack on the party.
Speaking on Friday, Lamido said he acted to restore his “personality, dignity and honour” after claiming the PDP stripped him of his rights. He lamented that a once united political family had now descended into distrust and infighting.
Lamido, who secured a favourable judgment, said the victory has brought him little joy. “It is tormenting that the case I won is about my party, about our unity, family. A family that was so united and cohesive… is all eroded, and we are now simply fighting,” he said.
He stressed he could not withdraw the suit because a judgment has already been delivered.
Lamido also made it clear he will not attend the party’s national convention scheduled for 15 November in Ibadan. “For someone saved by the court, I can’t go where there is an injunction on the convention. If I go, it means whatever I got from the court has been washed away,” he said, adding that attending would amount to renouncing his restored rights.
He dismissed rumours of meeting governors over the crisis and accused them of weakening the PDP. “PDP had 14 governors; today, there are only three left… The problem came from the governors because they have a wrong notion of themselves, that they are now in charge.”
Lamido insisted he was not desperate to become national chairman, but believed he could help rebuild the party’s collapsed structure. His legal threat in October followed his inability to purchase the nomination form, with party officials allegedly claiming they had no information about the documents.
Meanwhile, the legal tussle over the convention has deepened. An Oyo State High Court adjourned ruling on a jurisdictional challenge raised by INEC after a member, Folahan Adelabi, sued over the legality of the planned convention. The court set 8 December for ruling but maintained its interim order permitting preparations to continue.
However, the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered a conflicting decision, issuing a final order stopping the PDP from holding the convention. Justice Peter Lifu ruled in Lamido’s favour, insisting the event must not proceed until he is allowed to purchase the nomination form.
Amid the chaos, former Senate President Bukola Saraki urged the party to suspend the convention and install a caretaker committee to restore confidence and promote reconciliation.
Despite the opposing court orders, PDP governors and key stakeholders met in Abuja on Thursday and declared the convention dates of 15 and 16 November “irrevocable”. Delegates have already converged in Ibadan, with the Lekan Salami Stadium fully decorated ahead of the event.