•North-West chapters reject consensus deal, accuse party Govs of imposition

By Sodiq Adelakun and Mathew Denis

The race for the position of National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a dramatic turn as former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, and former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), lock horns in what party insiders describe as a fierce leadership showdown ahead of the party’s elective convention.

The contest has deepened internal cracks within the opposition party following reports that Turaki had been adopted as a “consensus candidate” by some PDP governors from the North. 

The decision has been widely criticised by several stakeholders and state chapters, who insist that the process was neither transparent nor democratic.

In a statement released after an emergency meeting, the Kebbi State chapter of the PDP openly rejected Turaki’s endorsement, accusing the party’s northern leaders of “unilateral imposition”.

According to the chapter’s Publicity Secretary, Sani Dododo, “The Kebbi State chapter outrightly rejects the purported adoption of the former minister as the consensus candidate. The decision by northern PDP governors was taken without consulting key party members.”

Lamido, who officially declared his chairmanship ambition on Monday in Abuja, said he entered the race to rescue the PDP from internal manipulation and restore democratic fairness.

His declaration is now being seen as a direct challenge to the governors’ consensus arrangement, which has polarised the party’s North-West bloc.

Meanwhile, the PDP National Elective Convention is set to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2025, where delegates will decide the next leadership of the party.

In a related twist, South-East PDP lawmakers have threatened to boycott the convention if the party proceeds with what they called “the marginalisation of the region”, alleging that the post of National Woman Leader, earlier zoned to the South-East, was being diverted to the South-South.

Hon. Imo Ugochinyere, a House of Representatives member, warned that the South-East would resist any move to undermine its agreed positions. 

He said: “The South-East PDP will not participate in the convention if the region is sidelined. The time to correct this imbalance is now.”