The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) found itself in turmoil again on Monday after abruptly suspending the screening of aspirants for its 2025 elective national convention. The exercise, earlier slated for October 28, was postponed indefinitely, with the party citing “unforeseen circumstances.”
The announcement has deepened concerns about internal disarray within the opposition party, which is just weeks away from its much-anticipated convention in Ibadan, Oyo State. In a statement signed by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, Chairman of the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC), the party assured members that a new date would soon be announced and appealed for calm. Still, no official explanation was provided for the sudden suspension.
Adding to the chaos, former Jigawa State governor and ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sule Lamido, expressed anger after he was allegedly denied access to purchase the nomination form for the position of National Chairman. Lamido described the situation as “strange” and accused some top party officials of deliberately blocking him from the race. “I met locked offices and uncooperative officials who claimed ignorance of where the forms were kept,” he said.
Lamido claimed that the process had been hijacked by the NCOC and that the forms were being controlled from Adamawa rather than the PDP national secretariat in Abuja. Visibly frustrated, he warned that he might seek legal redress if he continued to be denied the opportunity to contest. “If I don’t get the form, I’ll go to court. Simple,” he declared, stressing that the party must restore internal democracy and fairness.
Meanwhile, another chairmanship hopeful, Tanimu Turaki (SAN), submitted his Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms on the same day, fueling speculation that the party leadership may have already made up its mind on preferred candidates. Turaki, a former Minister of Special Duties, is said to enjoy strong backing from several PDP governors and has reportedly been adopted as a consensus candidate.
The crisis deepened further as over 20 federal lawmakers under the PDP threatened to defect from the party over an alleged plan to clear a nominee of an APC governor for the position of National Woman Leader. Led by Ikenga Ugochinyere, the lawmakers accused the PDP leadership of secretly issuing a nomination form to a woman loyal to Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu, who they alleged recently defected to the APC.
They warned that unless the leadership reversed the move, they would leave the party ahead of the 2027 elections. “We will not remain in a party that rewards betrayal and punishes loyalty,” their statement read, accusing Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum and Senator Samuel Anyanwu of orchestrating the plot.
The unfolding drama underscores the fragile state of the PDP as it struggles to rebuild after its 2023 electoral defeat. While leaders like Lamido continue to call for unity and discipline, growing mistrust, power tussles, and factional interests threaten to derail preparations for the 2025 convention.
For many observers, the latest developments show a party still wrestling with its identity — caught between reform and resistance, ambition and loyalty — as it tries to position itself as a credible alternative to the ruling APC ahead of 2027.
