A member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has said that former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, is fully entitled to contest for the party’s national chairmanship position.
He explained that while the PDP often promotes consensus arrangements to maintain unity within the party, such agreements do not prevent any member from pursuing an elective position.
“This has always been part of the PDP tradition,” George said. “When party leaders gather to support one person as a consensus candidate, it doesn’t mean others are barred from contesting.”
The PDP stalwart emphasized that consensus is an accepted and peaceful approach within the party but is not binding on aspirants.
“The goal is to make the process smooth and less confrontational. We’ve done this before, but the party has never stopped anyone from contesting.
Governor Sule Lamido has the right to contest.
He can buy the form, complete it, and appear on convention day. Delegates will vote — that’s how it works in our party,” he added.
Cautions Against Taking Internal Matters to Court
Chief George also advised party members to resolve internal disputes through the PDP’s established mechanisms rather than resorting to legal action.
“This party doesn’t belong to any individual. Before taking the PDP to court, members must exhaust the party’s internal conflict-resolution procedures.
Failure to do so can attract disciplinary measures,” he warned.
While affirming Lamido’s right to vie for the chairmanship, George noted that taking the matter to court could lead to sanctions.
“He is within his rights to contest, but if he chooses to go to court over this issue, the party can punish him. No one will deny him access to the nomination form, and he is free to participate.
Ultimately, delegates at the convention will decide openly,” George stated.
Lamido Threatens Legal Action
Lamido had on Monday threatened to take legal action against the PDP if he was denied access to purchase the nomination form for the national chairmanship position ahead of the party’s upcoming national convention.
The former governor visited the PDP’s national secretariat in Abuja to obtain the form but was informed by the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and the National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, that they had no information regarding the availability of the forms.
Speaking to journalists afterward, Lamido expressed disappointment, insisting that as one of the party’s founding members, he should not be excluded from participating in its democratic process.
“I went to the office of the National Organising Secretary, where the forms are normally sold, but the office was locked,” Lamido said.
“I met with the party’s Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and both of them told me they had no idea where the forms were or even how they were printed. It was quite strange that those responsible for the process were also being kept in the dark.”
Subsequent reports revealed that the chairmanship nomination forms were allegedly under the control of Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, who also serves as Chairman of the PDP National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC).
