A former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has called on leaders of the warring factions in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to halt ongoing court cases over the legitimate leadership of the party in order to allow reconciliation and restore stability.
Mr Saraki, who served as senate president between 2015 and 2019, said the litigations must stop for the party to organise another national convention and field candidates for the 2027 general elections.
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He made the call in a statement issued on Tuesday by his media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, while reacting to a Court of Appeal judgment invalidating the PDP national convention held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, in November last year.
The former senate president urged the executive committee led by Kabiru Turaki, which emerged from the convention, not to further challenge the court’s decision, warning that prolonged litigation could prevent the party from fielding candidates in future elections.
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“My own position is that the Court of Appeal has ruled. However, with the revised timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), it is obvious that there is no time to wait for the Supreme Court decision. Otherwise, we would not meet the deadlines for completing the process of nominating candidates,” he said.
Mr Saraki, a former governor of Kwara State, noted that the lingering crisis could also create confusion among candidates already nominated by the party at different levels.
He stressed that reconciliation among party leaders should take precedence over seeking court declarations.
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“Also, uncertainty will continue to hang over the validity of the tickets issued to those nominated on the PDP platform. If our motive is to see that we do not jeopardise the chances of our numerous members who want to contest elections on our platform, then this consideration should be the priority of all of us in the party.
“One of the key essentials of a political party is to provide a platform for candidates seeking to serve the people by contesting elections. We should not defeat this purpose. It is for these reasons that I believe the only option open to all of us is to end all litigation and work with the arrangements that are on the ground for holding a national convention within the INEC timetable,” he added.
The PDP, Nigeria’s former ruling party, has been engulfed in a deep factional crisis that could threaten its survival in 2027 general elections if reconciliation efforts fail.
The crisis has produced two main factions within the party, one aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the other led by Mr Turaki, who insists his leadership emerged from the national convention and has since attempted to take control of the party’s national headquarters.
The leadership dispute was challenged in court. In January, a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan nullified the party’s national convention which produced Mr Turaki as National Chairman.
In his ruling, Uche Agomoh, held that the caretaker committee led by Abdulrahman Mohammed, with Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary, and backed by Mr Wike, remained the only recognised National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP pending the conduct of a valid national convention.
The judge ruled that the Ibadan convention was held in flagrant disobedience of two subsisting court judgments and barred Mr Turaki and other officials elected at the convention from parading themselves as national officers of the party.
Mr Turaki subsequently appealed the ruling. On Monday, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal upheld the Federal High Court’s decision, invalidating the convention.
The appellate court also barred the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising the outcome of the convention, including the emergence of Mr Turaki’s leadership of the party.
Mr Turaki had also indicated interest to challenge the ruling at the Supreme Court.
Earlier warning
Mr Saraki said he and other PDP leaders had earlier warned against seeking court declarations on the party’s leadership, predicting that such moves could further deepen the crisis.
“From the beginning, some of us have warned and advised about the dangers of travelling this route. We know that it will only imperil the party. However, since we have found ourselves here, our focus should be on how to get back on the path of full recovery, stability, and progress,” he said.
He urged the factions, particularly the Turaki-led group that has lost in the courts, to act as statesmen in the interest of the party.
“I know that at this stage, egos have been bruised. However, the difference between an ordinary man and a statesman, between a person and a patriot, between a follower and a leader is the ability to rise above the din and ignore personal interests to serve the larger common interests and public good.
“Thus, some leaders of the party who did not get what they desired from the courts should now consider the bigger interest of the PDP in the 2027 elections and beyond. This is a more noble, dignified, and responsible position to adopt than to embark on a journey that leads to nowhere” he added.
Mr Saraki warned that continued litigation by feuding leaders could undermine the aspirations of party members seeking to contest elections on the PDP platform.
“My concern is how to save and preserve this great party for the benefit of the numerous members who have hinged their aspirations on the PDP platform.
There are many Nigerians in the grassroots who have been investing their time and resources in mobilising support for the party because they want to contest elections on the PDP platform. These are members who want to contest elections into the Houses of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, Governorship, and the presidency.
“Feuding leaders should not allow their ego and personal differences to jeopardise, undermine, and defeat the aspirations of these honest, devoted and committed party members by depriving them of the opportunity to subject themselves to the verdict of the electorate.
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That is what these leaders will be doing if anybody continues with the litigation.
“The only viable option open to all of us is to sit down, discuss, and work towards holding an all-inclusive national convention at a time that will comply with INEC guidelines.
What should be paramount to all of us is to adopt a give-and-take attitude that will ensure we accommodate all interests in the election of officers at the national convention. We should let the sleeping dog lie peacefully. There is really no time for continuous bickering and grandstanding,” he said.
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