The fallout from the Ibadan national convention spread across the country on Monday as PDP chapters in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Jigawa issued strong statements rejecting the exercise, deepening the opposition party’s widening crisis.
Their objections followed a sharp rebuke by former governor Sule Lamido, who dismissed the convention as “a gathering of friends entertaining themselves, not a lawful PDP event.”
Rivers PDP: Convention Violated Court Orders
The Rivers chapter said the Ibadan gathering was held in defiance of subsisting court injunctions, stressing that no state with respect for internal democracy would recognise a convention convened “outside constitutional procedure.”
Officials added that the chapter was not consulted and that the process lacked the backing of the party’s legitimate NEC.
Akwa Ibom: “Process Lacked Legitimacy, We Distance Ourselves”
In Uyo, the PDP state leadership condemned what it called a “pre-arranged coronation” designed to rubber-stamp a factional agenda.
The chapter said the organisers ignored key stakeholders and created an event that lacked legal and political legitimacy.
It pledged to align only with “lawful, court-compliant” party decisions.
IMPACT SNAPSHOTS
- Three key state chapters now formally oppose the Ibadan convention.
- Lamido’s remarks give powerful political cover to dissenting blocs.
- Legal uncertainty persists with court orders directly contradicting convention decisions.
- National unity within the PDP deteriorates as states demand reversal or renegotiation of outcomes.
Jigawa: “This Is Not Our Convention”
Jigawa’s PDP structure went further, declaring that the Ibadan event “did not represent the PDP known to us” and accusing the organisers of undermining internal cohesion.
The chapter argued that the hurried attempt to generate a new leadership structure would only fuel deeper fragmentation ahead of the 2027 race.
Lamido’s Intervention Raises Stakes
Former Jigawa governor Sule Lamido’s comments struck a national chord, as he argued the event was neither NEC-sanctioned nor compliant with multiple court orders.
“This convention was simply friends meeting to entertain themselves. It has no binding effect on the PDP,”
Lamido said during a televised interview.
His remarks have emboldened dissenting chapters and intensified the challenge to the Makinde-backed caretaker leadership.
WHO’S WATCHING?
- Opposition analysts tracking fragmentation ahead of 2027.
- Advocacy groups monitoring court-order compliance and internal governance.
- Political investors and consultants reading state-level dissent as indicators of party strength for coalition-building.
The cascading rejections now form part of a broader legitimacy crisis threatening to split the PDP into parallel national structures.
This is IDNN. Independent. Digital. Uncompromising.
