A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees, Chief Bode George, has criticised former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, over his threat to take legal action against the party if denied access to the nomination form for the position of national chairman.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Chief George said while every member of the party, including Lamido, has the right to contest for any elective position, resorting to court action without first exhausting the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms would be inappropriate and punishable.
“This party is not owned by any individual. Before taking the party to court, you must exhaust the internal dynamics of the party. If you fail to do that, you can be punished,” George said.
The PDP leader emphasised that although the party encourages consensus-building in its internal elections, such arrangements do not prevent any member from contesting.
“This has been part of the practice in the PDP. The fact that some leaders converge to support one person as a consensus candidate doesn’t mean others cannot compete,” he explained.
He noted that the consensus option is meant to make the process more peaceful and less divisive but remains optional.
“You want to make the process seamless and non-combative. We’ve done this before, but the party has never told anyone they cannot contest. Governor Sule Lamido has the right to compete,” he said.
Chief George reiterated that Lamido was free to pick the nomination form and stand for election, adding that the final decision on who emerges as national chairman rests with the delegates at the convention.
“He can get the form, fill it, and appear on the convention day. We will vote. That is the practice in our party,” he said.
Lamido had on Monday expressed dissatisfaction after visiting the PDP national secretariat in Abuja, where he was reportedly unable to obtain the chairmanship nomination form. He claimed that both the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and the National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, said they were unaware of the form’s availability.
“I found it a little weird that the custodians of the system are also being locked out, Lamido said, suggesting that the forms were being withheld.
Despite the controversy, George maintained that Lamido should follow due process and avoid dragging the party’s internal affairs before the courts.
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