PDP Leaders have faulted their removal from the party, describing the Ibadan convention as unlawful, defective, and held in violation of existing court orders while some distanced themselves from individuals parading themselves as states delegates at the party’s convention in Ibadan.
The entire exercise lacked legal standing - Abia state PDP Chairman, Amah
“We have a matter in court and it has moved to the Appeal Court. So, it is against the spirit of the law and the constitution for them to go ahead to do what they had done. We are not part of what they have done,” he stated. Amah also dismissed claims that Abia State fully participated in the event, insisting that the turnout from the state was minimal.
He said, “It is a game of democracy. We have 17 local governments; four chairmen are there while 13 are not. We have 14 members of the state working committee; only five are there. Some people went there because of the money they want to collect.”
He further criticised the dissolution of the Abia and Imo PDP executives at the convention, calling it a major procedural blunder.
“They went ahead to dissolve Abia and Imo executives, and now they are calling them to come and vote, which is a blunder. By dissolving the state, they don’t have the right to vote,” he added.
South-South PDP Leaders Dismiss Convention As Social Event
Turner, Secretary of the PDP in the South-South Zone, also rubbished the gathering, insisting it was not a legitimate party convention. He said,
“There is no PDP convention anywhere. You heard the chairman of the social gathering in Ibadan, Fintiri, where he announced that INEC was not there. So, it is not a convention of the PDP. When the PDP is ready with their convention, everybody will know.
It is good riddance to bad rubbish - Enyinnaya Appolos, acting Publicity Secretary of the South-South PDP, Enyinnaya Appolos
He described the event as “ill-fated” and held “in clear defiance of due process and judicial pronouncements.”
In a statement to Sunday Punch, Appolos said the organisers blatantly ignored two subsisting Federal High Court judgments and instead relied on “an ineffectual ex parte order which, in law and in fact, cannot override valid and extant court decisions.”
He added that the absence of INEC officials rendered the process “procedurally defective and legally unsustainable.” According to him, the purported convention was convened despite unresolved state congresses and explicit court orders barring such a gathering.
“It is evident that every business purportedly transacted at this gathering cannot stand the test of time, nor withstand judicial scrutiny,” he said. Appolos urged party members to remain calm as the matter progressed to the Court of Appeal
Jigawa PDP disowns ‘fake delegates’ at Ibadan Convention
The Jigawa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has distanced itself from individuals parading themselves as delegates from the state at the party’s ongoing convention in Ibadan.
This was contained in a statement issued by the state chairman, Dr Babandi Ibrahim Gumel, and posted on his official Facebook page, ‘There are no legitimate delegates from Jigawa attending the convention.
He said, “I just learnt that some people are claiming to be elected delegates representing Jigawa in the ongoing factional and purported convention of the PDP in Ibadan.
“The Jigawa State chapter of the PDP is not participating in the convention, in compliance with the Federal High Court judgement restoring the rights of our leader, His Excellency, Sule Lamido, to participate in the process to contest the chairmanship of our party.”
Gumel expressed concern over the worsening internal crisis within the PDP, noting that the party’s affairs were being mishandled.
He stressed that the Jigawa chapter remains committed to any genuine reconciliation efforts.
“We are calling on our leaders to reach out to all aggrieved members and find a lasting solution to this crisis,” he said.
The chairman further warned that anyone claiming to represent Jigawa as a delegate at the Ibadan convention is a fraudster.
“Any person claiming to be a delegate from Jigawa State is a fraudster,” he emphasised.
Rivers PDP rejects convention outcome, hails INEC’s boycott
The Peoples’ Democratic Party in Rivers State has described the party’s national convention held in Ibadan on Saturday as illegal and said its outcomes will not stand.
In a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Kenneth Yowika, the Rivers PDP praised the Independent National Electoral Commission for boycotting the convention, saying the move upheld the rule of law and democracy.
The party noted that two Federal High Courts had barred the PDP from holding the convention, while a High Court in Ibadan allowed it to proceed.
Despite the conflicting rulings, the party went ahead with the event, electing new national executives and dissolving some state-level party executives.
Yowika described the convention as a “sham” and criticised the disregard for subsisting court orders. He said INEC’s decision to comply with the Federal High Court judgments exemplified adherence to democratic principles.
The Rivers PDP expressed confidence that the convention would be declared invalid by a competent court, urging members to remain calm and rely on the judiciary.
“The ill-advised convention cannot withstand legal scrutiny as it is already sub judice at the Court of Appeal. We rest our faith solely on the judiciary and urge all members to do the same,” the statement read.
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