PDP Convention Crisis worsens as Lamido fumes over blocked nomination form, while screening of aspirants is abruptly suspended amid internal tension.
PDP Convention Crisis took a new twist yesterday as the Peoples Democratic Party suspended the screening of aspirants for its 2025 Elective National Convention, citing “unforeseen circumstances.”
Also read: PDP Suspends Screening Ahead of 2025 Convention
The decision, announced less than a month to the much-anticipated convention, has sparked renewed anxiety within the opposition party and heightened internal tensions among stakeholders.
In a statement released by Ahmadu Fintiri, Governor of Adamawa State and Chairman of the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC), the party said a new date for the screening would be communicated later.
“The NCOC regrets any inconveniences caused by the postponement,” the statement read, assuring members that preparations for the convention remained on track.
However, the calm tone of the statement belied deep-seated unrest within the PDP, as former Jigawa State governor and ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alhaji Sule Lamido, publicly vented his frustration over his inability to obtain nomination forms for the post of National Chairman.
Lamido described the incident as “strange” and “a violation of due process,” alleging that his access to the forms was deliberately blocked.
“I went to the office of the National Organising Secretary where the forms are usually sold, but the office was locked,” he told reporters at the PDP headquarters in Abuja.
He accused some party officials of hijacking the process. “It appears the nomination forms are being controlled from Adamawa instead of the PDP headquarters. If I don’t get the form, I’ll go to court,” he vowed.
The former governor also dismissed claims that the sale of forms had closed, insisting that only the National Executive Committee (NEC) could approve such decisions. “I’m an optimist, but the PDP must return to internal democracy if we hope to defeat the APC in 2027,” he added.
Meanwhile, another national chairmanship aspirant, former Minister of Special Duties Tanimu Turaki (SAN), successfully submitted his nomination and expression of interest forms at the NCOC secretariat in Abuja.
Turaki, widely seen as the preferred candidate of several PDP governors, was accompanied by a large crowd of supporters.
The PDP Convention Crisis intensified further as more than 20 federal lawmakers threatened to defect over an alleged plot to clear a nominee of an APC governor for the position of PDP National Woman Leader.
In a statement led by their spokesman, Ikenga Ugochinyere, the lawmakers accused the party leadership of “secretly issuing a nomination form” to a woman sponsored by Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, who they claimed had defected to the APC.
They warned: “We will decamp from the PDP if this woman is not disqualified before the screening. It’s shameful that PDP leaders are backing a nominee loyal to the APC.”
They also accused Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum and Senator Samuel Anyanwu of “conniving with pro-APC forces” to infiltrate the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
Despite the turmoil, Governor Fintiri insisted that the NCOC remained committed to delivering a “credible, transparent, and hitch-free convention” slated for 15–16 November in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Also read: PDP 2025 National Convention Screening Holds Tuesday
Observers say the unfolding PDP Convention Crisis could determine not only the leadership direction of the party but also its viability as Nigeria’s leading opposition force heading into 2027.
