Bode George: Sule Lamido free to contest PDP chairmanship but risks sanction if he sues party

Bode George, a member of the board of trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has warned Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa, not to take the party to court over the sale of nomination forms for national chairmanship contest.

Speaking on ‘Politics Today’, a Channels Television programme, on Tuesday, George said Lamido must first explore the party’s internal dispute resolution processes before seeking redress in court.

The PDP chieftain also said Lamido has every right to contest for the party’s national chairmanship position.

“The fact that those leaders converged and supported one individual as a consensus candidate doesn’t mean others can’t contest,” George said.

“You want to make the process seamless. It’s an internal dynamic. We have done this before, but the party has never stopped anyone from contesting.

“My friend Sule Lamido has the right to compete. He can go and get the form, fill it, and follow the normal process to appear on the day of the convention. We will vote.

“But before you take the party to court, you must exhaust the internal dynamics of the party. If you fail to do that, you can be punished.

“So, he (Lamido) is exercising his rights, but if he goes to court for this, he can be punished.”

“Let him go; nobody will deny him any form, and he can compete. The final decision will be by delegates attending the convention, and it will be done openly.”

George emphasised that the PDP constitution provides for internal conflict resolution procedures that all members must respect to maintain discipline within the party.

His comments followed Lamido’s claim that top PDP officials are obstructing his attempt to purchase nomination forms for the chairmanship race.

On Monday, Lamido visited the PDP national secretariat in Abuja with his supporters but claimed that key offices were “locked” and officials unavailable to attend to him.

The former governor also vowed to take legal action against the PDP if he is prevented from obtaining the nomination form to contest the party’s national chairmanship position.

There has been disquiet within the opposition party following the recent zoning arrangement, which allocated the national chairmanship position to the north-west.

A section of northern leaders has endorsed Tanimu Turaki, a former minister of special duties, as a consensus candidate—a move some PDP north-west stakeholders kicked against.

The PDP’s elective national convention is scheduled to be held from November 15 to 16 in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.