PDP Faces Fresh Turmoil as Lamido Moves to Stop Ibadan Convention

The crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a new turn as former Jigawa State governor and founding member of the party, Alhaji Sule Lamido, has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to halt the party’s upcoming national convention. The convention, scheduled to take place in Ibadan, Oyo State, from November 15 to 16, is intended to elect new national officers to steer the affairs of the PDP.

Lamido, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, is asking the court to stop the exercise, arguing that the process leading to the convention has been flawed and discriminatory. In the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CD/2229/2025 and filed by his counsel, Jephthah Chikodi Njikonye, SAN, the former governor also requested an order barring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from supervising or recognizing the convention, claiming that doing so would confer undue legitimacy on a process he describes as illegal.

At the heart of Lamido’s grievance is his alleged unlawful exclusion from contesting for the position of national chairman. He contends that the party denied him access to the nomination form, in violation of its constitution and internal guidelines. According to him, the PDP failed to provide equal opportunities for qualified members to participate in the electoral process, thereby undermining the principles of fairness and internal democracy.

Lamido is urging the court to compel the party to issue him the nomination form for the chairmanship race and to restrain INEC from monitoring or recognizing any convention until he is granted the opportunity to contest. The suit adds to growing tensions within the PDP as internal disputes threaten to overshadow preparations for the party’s leadership election.