By Luminous Jannamike
FORMER Jigawa State Governor and one of the founding fathers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Sule Lamido, has threatened legal action after the party allegedly denied him access to the nomination form for its national chairmanship, a move that has thrown the 77-year-old political icon into open confrontation with the very institution he helped to build.
The Loyalist Shut Out
For more than two decades, Lamido has stood as a constant figure in the PDP’s turbulent journey, a disciple of the late Aminu Kano’s populist ideals and a defender of the party’s founding social-democratic principles.
While many of his peers defected in pursuit of political comfort, Lamido stayed behind, holding the line through years of crisis and electoral defeat.
But this week, that loyalty seemed to count for little. When Lamido arrived at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja to buy his nomination form, there were no officials, no documents, and no explanations.
“If I am not able to get the form, I will go to court, simple,” he told journalists, his words calm but edged with disbelief.
For a man long regarded as one of the conscience figures of the PDP, it was not just a bureaucratic slight. It felt like a betrayal.
The Case of the Missing Forms
The mystery deepened when both the National Organising Secretary, Capt. Umar Bature (rtd) and the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, reportedly told Lamido they had no idea where the forms are.
Anyanwu, appearing uneasy, confirmed as much in a separate interview: “I have not even seen the form. As the National Secretary, my job includes keeping records and accounts of all sales of forms, but I am not in custody of any. I have not even seen what the forms look like. Nobody has come to me to buy one.”
His admission exposed not only an administrative lapse but also hinted at a possible internal power play, a quiet attempt, some insiders say, to shape the outcome of the forthcoming convention before delegates even converge on Ibadan.
Thunderclouds Over Ibadan
Still, Lamido has vowed to fight on. “If I don’t get the form, I’ll go to court,” he repeated, his tone as steady as his convictions.
Behind the calm exterior, however, lies a storm brewing. Party insiders whisper of a coordinated effort by influential governors to produce a consensus candidate, reportedly from the North-West, a move critics view as imposition and manipulation.
Should Lamido make good his threat, the ensuing legal tussle could stall the Ibadan convention, casting a pall over a party already struggling to project unity ahead of 2027.
Between Loyalty and Legacy
For Lamido, this fight is not about ambition but principle. Those close to him describe a man who values fairness and process over power, one who still believes politics should be rooted in integrity, not intrigue.
To his admirers, he represents the moral bridge between the PDP’s glorious past and its uncertain future. To his critics, he is an ageing idealist unwilling to step aside for a younger generation.
Yet even they concede that his steadfastness commands rare respect in a political culture where loyalty is often traded for expediency.
Anyanwu, meanwhile, finds himself in the eye of the storm. His public admission that he has ‘not even seen the form’ has raised uncomfortable questions about who truly runs the PDP secretariat, and who stands to gain from the confusion.
A Mirror to the Party’s Soul
Ultimately, the Lamido episode has become a mirror reflecting the PDP’s larger identity crisis. The party that once prided itself on openness and inclusion now faces accusations of secrecy and internal manipulation.
If Lamido heads to court and secures an injunction, the Ibadan convention could be suspended plunging the PDP into yet another round of self-inflicted paralysis.
The irony is striking: a party seeking to reclaim the moral high ground from the ruling APC now risks losing its own through internal discord.
At 77, Lamido’s defiance evokes the tragedy of loyalty tested by time. The man who once helped draft the PDP’s founding charter now stands at its gates, knocking, not for favour, but for fairness.
Court declines Lamido’s plea
However, in a fresh twist to the unfolding drama, the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday refused to grant Lamido’s application seeking an interim order to restrain the PDP from proceeding with its scheduled national convention.
Lamido, through his lawyer, Jeph Njikonye (SAN), had prayed the court to halt the process pending the hearing and determination of his substantive motion on notice. But Justice Peter Lifu, in a ruling, declined to grant the ex parte order.
Instead, the judge directed the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), named as 1st and 2nd defendants in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2299/2025, to appear and show cause why Lamido’s request should not be granted.
The court’s decision means that, for now, the convention preparations continue, even as Lamido’s legal battle moves into a decisive phase.
As the countdown to Ibadan continues, one question looms like a warning bell across Wadata Plaza: Whither PDP?
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