The former Governor of Jigawa State, Mallam Sule Lamido, during an interview with DAILY TRUST, expressed concern over the state of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which he said was originally formed to defend democracy in Nigeria, during an interview with a Daily Trust correspondent.
He explained that the way forward, in his view, is for the party to adopt a strategic approach to its internal challenges, noting that ongoing litigations and actions have left the current leadership structure under Abdulrahman Mohammed as the only functioning authority on ground.
He recalled that prior to the Ibadan convention, he had cautioned that the party needed to be deliberate in its decisions, especially with the expiration of the Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC) tenure scheduled for December 9. He warned that failure to put a transitional arrangement in place could expose the party to legal and administrative risks with INEC, potentially jeopardizing its existence if no valid leadership structure was recognized.
He said he had therefore advocated for the establishment of a caretaker committee to prevent a leadership vacuum. However, he argued that the convention that eventually held in Ibadan was not properly representative of the party’s founding ideals, describing it as driven by personal interests rather than the collective vision on which the party was originally built. He further maintained that many of those who participated in the convention were not part of the PDP’s formation in 1998.
He further stated, "In any case, the convention held. It was annulled by court. Now, look at the tragedy: Those who convened as leaders in the convention to elect that leadership in Ibadan have all left the party.
"I am pained that the chairman of the convention in Ibadan, Fintiri, has now gone to APC.
"My zonal governor, who is supposed to be my own leader. Who was also at the convention also left PDP for APC, Gov Kefas left for APC’ Caleb Mutfwang.
"So, all the governors who sat down and worked on the Ibadan convention have now abandoned the convention."
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