Court orders PDP to shelve convention until Lamido is accommodated as chairmanship aspirant

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday, ordered the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to go ahead with its national convention until a chairmanship nomination form is made available to ex-Gov. Sule Lamido of Jigawa.

Justice Peter Lifu, in a judgment, held that the PDP, by its conduct, had breached its own party’s guidelines and constitution.

According to Justice Lifu, a party is bound to obey its own constitution.

He said the essence of this is to avoid illegality.

The judge observed that by Lamido’s averment before the court, the former governor said he was at the party’s national secretariat on Oct. 27 to purchase the nomination form but was denied, even when the form would be closing 14 days to the national convention.

He also observed that from the exhibit tendered, the party’s consensus candidate was said to have stated that “…how we got the form is immaterial..” as long as the timetable for the nomination form had closed.

The judge held that from the tone of such statement, it showed that how the chairmanship nomination form was purchased was irregular and not transparent.

The judge therefore ordered the PDP to create opportunities for its members, including the plaintiff, to contest during the convention.

Justiceifu, who ordered that the national convention scheduled for Nov. 15 and Nov. 16 be put on hold until Lamido is allowed to exercise his constitutional right, also barred INEC from monitoring, supervising or recognising the outcome of the convention until the party does the needful.