By Abdulrahman Aliagan, Abuja
The deepening crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a dramatic turn on Friday as a Federal High Court in Abuja refused to grant an application by former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, seeking to halt the party’s forthcoming national convention.
Lamido, one of the PDP’s most consistent and outspoken elders, had approached the court to restrain the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from proceeding with the convention slated for November 15–16 in Ibadan, Oyo State, arguing that the process violated the party’s constitution and disenfranchised legitimate aspirants — including himself.
Justice Peter Lifu, in his ruling, declined to issue the restraining order but directed both the PDP and INEC to appear before him within 72 hours to show cause why Lamido’s application should not be granted. The case has been adjourned to November 6 for hearing.
Ironically, the same day Lamido’s motion was refused, another Federal High Court judge in Abuja, Justice James Omotosho, granted a separate order suspending the same convention. The conflicting court decisions have plunged the PDP into further uncertainty — a reflection of its deep internal fractures and strategic confusion as Nigeria inches toward another election cycle.
To many political watchers, the Lamido case is symptomatic of a larger rot within the PDP — a party that once boasted of being the largest in Africa but now struggles with identity, credibility, and cohesion.
Lamido’s camp insists the party’s leadership, dominated by what they describe as “a clique of self-serving actors,” has hijacked the internal processes to impose a leadership loyal to external interests rather than grassroots members.
“The PDP is gradually losing the moral high ground that made Nigerians trust it in the early 2000s,” said a party stalwart from the North-West who preferred anonymity. “Lamido’s case is not just about the convention. It’s about reclaiming the soul of a party that has lost its ideological compass.”
Since its electoral defeat in 2015, the PDP has endured successive storms — from the Ali Modu Sheriff crisis to the Atiku–Wike feud that split the party in the 2023 general elections. The Ibadan convention, meant to re-unify the party and produce a fresh leadership, now risks becoming another battleground.
No discussion about the PDP’s turmoil is complete without mentioning Nyesom Wike, the former Rivers State governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Once a fiery defender of the PDP, Wike has since emerged as its most disruptive figure.
His open collaboration with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), especially under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, has blurred partisan lines and shaken the foundation of Nigeria’s two-party system.
“Wike represents the paradox of Nigerian politics — opposition by day, ruling party by night,” noted political analyst Dr. Abdulrahman Oloyede, a public affairs commentator based in Abuja. “He is playing a long game, using his influence in both camps to shape outcomes. But in doing so, he’s undermining the PDP’s credibility as a true opposition force.”
Insiders say Wike’s grip extends beyond Rivers politics. His influence reportedly reaches into PDP structures across the South-South and North-Central, where loyalty is often exchanged for patronage from the corridors of federal power.
“Many of our people are torn,” confessed a PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) member. “They benefit from Wike’s generosity but know his alliance with APC undermines everything the party stands for.”
The PDP’s implosion is not just a party affair — it’s a democratic emergency. In a nation where political pluralism is still fragile, the weakening of the main opposition party leaves a dangerous vacuum.
“If the PDP collapses or becomes a puppet opposition, the entire democratic ecosystem suffers,” warned Prof. Bisi Akinyemi, a political scientist at the University of Ibadan. “The APC cannot be effectively checked, and governance becomes less accountable. Nigerians pay the ultimate price when power lacks competition.”
Already, this absence of a strong opposition is being felt in the national discourse. With inflation soaring, the naira struggling, and insecurity persisting, many Nigerians feel their voices are not echoed through any organized political structure. The PDP, once a rallying point for alternative visions, appears consumed by its internal warfare.
With the 2027 general elections less than two years away, the PDP faces an existential question: can it recover from within, or will it fragment into regional mini-parties swallowed by the ruling machine?
Lamido’s legal challenge, though procedural, symbolizes the frustration of many party veterans who fear that PDP’s democratic ethos — internal contest, fairness, and representation — is being replaced by opportunism and external manipulation.
“The PDP must return to its founding ideals of justice and inclusion,” Lamido said in a statement to Time Nigeria Magazine through one of his aides. “If we allow the party to become a tool of convenience, we betray the millions of Nigerians who still look to us for hope.”
The road to 2027 will test whether the PDP can rise above personalities like Wike, reconcile its factions, and articulate a clear alternative to the APC’s governance model. If not, Nigeria may slide into a quasi one-party state — where power circulates within the same elite circle, and democracy becomes a hollow ritual.
From courtrooms to convention halls, from Rivers to Jigawa, the PDP’s struggle mirrors Nigeria’s larger democratic paradox — a country of immense political energy but limited institutional discipline.
As November 6 approaches, the nation watches closely: not merely to see whether Lamido wins his case, but to gauge whether the PDP can still serve as a credible custodian of opposition politics.
Whatever the outcome, one truth endures — without a strong, united opposition, democracy loses its heartbeat.
