Sule Lamido Regrets Suit against PDP Convention, Court Fixes Nov. 13 for Ruling

                                                                              
Chuks Okocha and Alex Enumah in Abuja

A chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, yesterday said he would be sad which ever way the judgement of a Federal High Court in Abuja went, in his suit challenging his exclusion from the 2025 National Convention of the party.

Lamido made the comment while speaking with journalists in Abuja, shortly after Justice Peter Lifu fixed November 13 for judgement in the suit seeking to stop the PDP convention slated for November 15 and 16, in Ibadan.

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had on October 31 restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the outcome of the said convention on the grounds that constitutional provisions for the conduct of the convention for the election of the party’s leadership had not been met.

However, Lifu while ruling in a motion on notice brought by Lamido, ordered PDP to halt plans for the convention pending the determination of the substantive matter, which he fixed for November 13.

Lifu also temporarily restrained INEC from supervising, monitoring or recognising the outcome of the scheduled Ibadan convention.

Speaking on the court case, the former governor expressed sadness that he was forced to opt for the court action.

While recalling his long relationship with PDP, from his election as governor of Jigawa State to his appointment as foreign affairs minister, Lamido explained that he had to approach the court to get justice following his exclusion from contesting for elective position at the Ibadan convention.

According to him, the leadership of the party denied him his right as a bona fide member of PDP to purchase a nomination form for the office of National Chairman.

Lamido said, “In this case, if my party lost, I also lost. I feel like crying taking this path.

“When we fight as brothers, the trust is lost, the bond of brotherhood is also lost.”

Lifu said his decision to issue the restraining order was predicated on the grounds that the party refused, neglected and failed to comply with relevant conditions and laws for the conduct of such conventions.

The judge held that evidence from Lamido showed that the timetable for the convention was not published for the attention of its members, as required by law.

Lifu also held that the balance of convenience tilted towards Lamido because he would suffer more if allowed to be unlawfully excluded from the planned convention.

According to the judge, the court of law, by the provision of Section 6 of the Constitution, must not abdicate its role of dispensing justice without fear or favour.

Besides, the judge pointed out that anarchy would be the order of the day, any day and anywhere the court of record abdicated its constitutionally assigned functions.

Lifu announced that judgement would be delivered in the substantive matter on November 13, shortly after all parties in the matter adopted their various briefs of arguments.

The court had on its own asked parties to address it on whether the case, as brought by Lamido, was not an internal affair of PDP and also whether Lamido exhausted the party’s mechanism for resolving such disputes before approaching the court.