The PDP crisis took another turn on Monday as chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory called on security agencies to investigate what they described as the alleged forgery and distortion of court judgments by a rival group led by Tanimu Turaki, SAN. The state party leaders maintained that the dispute had moved beyond an internal leadership disagreement and now posed a threat to the rule of law, public order and the party’s legal identity.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Chairman of the PDP Chairmen’s Forum, Hon. Austin Nwachukwu, alongside the forum’s Secretary, Hon. Babandi Ibrahim Gumel, said the group was acting to protect the party’s integrity. The forum insisted that Nigeria is governed by law rather than propaganda, arguing that no expelled members should replace court decisions with public statements.
According to the chairmen, the only recognised PDP leadership remains the National Working Committee headed by National Chairman Alhaji Abdulraham Mohammed and National Secretary Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu. They accused the Turaki-led group of falsely presenting itself as a legitimate faction of the party despite what they described as existing court judgments recognising the current leadership.
As part of efforts to resolve the PDP crisis, the forum appealed to former President Goodluck Jonathan to publicly distance himself from what it described as the unauthorised use of his name by the rival camp. The chairmen alleged that Jonathan’s presidential nomination was manually submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) despite what they said was an authorised electronic submission by the recognised party leadership.
They also urged the National Working Committee to institute contempt proceedings and other legal actions against the expelled members over alleged impersonation, forgery and disobedience of court orders. In addition, they appealed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to order a security review of a property in Area 10, Garki, Abuja, which they alleged was being used to coordinate activities capable of disrupting public order.
The forum called on security agencies to investigate alleged criminal forgery and distortion of court judgments, warning that such actions could undermine confidence in the judicial process and threaten public peace. The chairmen also disclosed plans to make certified true copies of relevant court judgments available to journalists in a bid to counter what they described as misleading interpretations of the legal decisions.
Despite the ongoing PDP crisis, the forum praised the National Working Committee for successfully conducting the sale of nomination forms, organising party primaries, producing Professor Senator Sandy Onor as the PDP presidential candidate and facilitating the upload and publication of candidates’ particulars by INEC.
The chairmen appealed to party members nationwide to remain calm and united, stressing that the PDP’s future should not be determined by internal disagreements. According to the forum, the party remains an institution founded on sacrifice, legality and the democratic will of its members, adding that it would resist any attempt by expelled individuals to hijack its structure or legacy.
