The crisis of confidence rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of its November 15–16 elective convention, scheduled for Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, took another dimension on Monday as contending stakeholders intensified their push for control of the party.

There was confusion at the party’s national secretariat over who could access the party’s nomination and expression of interest forms for the position of national chairman, as one of the aspirants for the position and former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, was unable to purchase the forms.

While Lamido, a founding leader of the party, had to threaten to drag the party to court for denying him access to the expression of interest and nomination forms, a former Minister of Special Duties, Taminu Turaki, SAN, who had been named as a consensus candidate of the North by some PDP stakeholders, arrived at the party’s national secretariat to submit his copies of the same forms ahead of the planned screening.

The sale of forms closed on September 22, preparatory to the commencement of screening of aspirants from September 28.

Meanwhile, the party, on Monday, postponed the screening of candidates earlier scheduled for October 28 due to “unforeseen circumstances,” according to a statement released by Fintiri. He said a new date would be announced appropriately.

The confusion as to the availability of the forms was further heightened by claims by the national secretary of the PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and the national organising secretary, Honourable Umar Bature, that they were kept in the dark over the forms.

Lamido had earlier in the day confirmed his interest in contesting the office of national chairman, disclosing on his Facebook page that he would buy a nomination form at 11 a.m.

However, the whole drama began when he got to the Wadata Plaza headquarters of the party in Abuja. The former governor was unable to obtain the forms.

Going by the timeline of the convention released by the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC), chaired by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State, the sale of forms closed on September 22, while the party had also announced October 28 as the commencement of screening of aspirants for various positions.

Lamido arrived at the secretariat 24 hours to the screening date, seeking to buy the forms, but in his words, he got “stranded.”

He first went to the finance office and later met with the national secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and the national organising secretary (NOS), Honourable Umar Bature. Both Anyanwu and Bature informed him that they had no information about the form and could not help him.

Bature advised him to approach the NCOC headed by Fintiri for further briefing, explaining further that he had no useful information to help Lamido on his mission.

“This time around, the system has changed. The form is not with me, I have not seen any form, I don’t know what it looks like,” Bature told Lamido.

On his part, Anyanwu too claimed not to have sighted the forms, expressing his displeasure that, as the secretary of the party who was entitled to seek re-election, he had no access to the form.

Speaking with reporters after he left Anyanwu’s office, Lamido expressed disappointment over the development, threatening to sue the party if he was unable to buy a form.

According to him, nomination forms are usually sold at the party’s office and not in the home of an individual.

“By tradition, I should know where the forms are sold. That’s why I came here (Wadata Plaza). So, if they are being sold somewhere else, then I’ll find out where, because they are now under the chairmanship of the National Convention Organising Committee. So, Fintiri is now holding the forms? So, I have to go to Adamawa and buy the form,” he queried.

When reminded that the sale of forms had closed and that a screening date had been fixed, Lamido queried the “rush” to hold the convention. He noted: “What I am saying is this, you see, we have something called procedure in a system of doing things. Why the rush? Why this kind of cunny-cunny thing, that kind of thing? It’s a family thing, for God’s sake. All right? I can only contest if I buy the form. I cannot buy the form, which is to be sold by the national organising secretary, and the office is locked up,” he said.

Threatening a court action, the former governor said: “If I don’t get the form, I’ll go to court. Simple.”

The development came following a crack among party stakeholders from the North where the party zoned the office of national chairman, and later micro-zoned it to the North-West.

Last week, party leaders and stakeholders had, through a consensus, settled for former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, SAN, as the preferred candidate from the North. Following the meeting, Governor Fintiri, who is both the NCOC chairman and a key stakeholder from the North, officially announced Turaki as the consensus candidate from the North-West.

However, barely 24 hours later, the outgoing organising secretary, Honourable Bature, gathered another group at a location in Abuja to oppose the choice of Turaki.

Bature had claimed that the former minister, who is from Kebbi State, was “imposed” on the geopolitical zone without due consultation with stakeholders. The Bature group had said that it would present an alternative candidate for the position.

It was unclear on Monday if Lamido is the alternative candidate, as his name also appeared on the list of those who participated in the consultations that led to the choice of Turaki earlier.

Coincidentally, Bature was at the PDP headquarters on Monday morning ahead of Lamido’s visit. He, however, went to sit in Anyanwu’s office on the excuse that his own office was locked.

Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune indicated that, though Lamido’s name was on the lips of some stakeholders as a possible candidate, the PDP governors from the North reportedly questioned his loyalty, because there were claims that he had also identified with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) when the coalition was launched.

When he was told that the governors kicked against his ambition, the former governor replied: “They met me in PDP, for God’s sake. You know, they met me in PDP, all of them. Where were they in 1998? Where were they? When we fought for the party all through the last 25 years? Where were they? So, as I say to you, don’t bring up issues that are very, very divisive. I don’t want to lose my composure.”

Lamido further said that while he was not against a consensus arrangement, the person chosen should emerge through wide consultations.

As Lamido spoke, Turaki was at the party’s office submitting his expression of interest and nomination forms. He assured party supporters that he was fully prepared for the Ibadan convention.

Reacting to the inability of Lamido to get his own form, an associate of Turaki, Mr. Umar Sani, who spoke on his behalf, said the former minister was not to blame for the former governor’s predicament.

Besides, he asked why Lamido was coming to buy his form on a day the party had set for the submission of completed forms. “Today is not a day for the sale of forms. Lamido went late to Wadata Plaza to buy forms. It’s not our business if he didn’t get the form. Let the PDP explain to him,” he stated.

Sani also noted that, based on the April 4 judgment of the Supreme Court, a political party was empowered to determine how its internal affairs would be run.

On how Turaki emerged, Sani said a meeting of leaders and stakeholders from the zone, convened by the governor of Zamfara State, Mr. Dauda Lawal, consulted widely before settling for the former minister.

He explained that the stakeholders felt Turaki was a “neutral” party man who neither aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, nor with other contending groups. “No party chairman has ever emerged exclusive of the President, and the governors always have an interest in the party. So, the chief stakeholder in the North-West and the governor of Zamfara State have spoken. They were all there at the meeting,” he added. (Tribune)