Former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, has vowed not to attend the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national convention scheduled for November 15.
Lamido, who spoke on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, said he went to court to reclaim his personal dignity after the party allegedly denied him the right to purchase a nomination form.
However, him attending the party convention would only undermine the court judgment that restored his right to contest party leadership positions.
He also said that the crisis in the party only reflects how deeply weakened the PDP has become.
“I went to court not because I have anybody in mind, but I went to get my rights back taken by my party. The issue is just about my own personality, dignity and honour being restored more than anything else or being in the court,” he said.
The former governor said the judgment in his favour came with mixed feelings, noting that it exposed a party he once knew to be united now struggling with internal distrust.
“I won the case, fair enough, but then again, it is also equally tormenting that the case I won is about my party, about our unity, family.
“A family that was so united and cohesive, with so much love and trust, is all eroded, and we are now simply fighting. And I feel very sad; let the problem be solved,” he said.
Lamido’s legal battle began in October when he attempted to buy the nomination form but allegedly met resistance from party officials, including National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Organising Secretary Umar Bature.
The crisis has since deepened, with conflicting court orders now threatening the party’s planned convention.
An Oyo State High Court adjourned ruling on a case filed by a PDP member, Folahan Adelabi, challenging the legality of the convention. While the court allowed preparations to continue, a separate ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja halted the event entirely.
Justice Peter Lifu ruled that the PDP must suspend the convention until Lamido is allowed to purchase the nomination form.
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has also advised the party to suspend the convention and set up a caretaker committee to restore confidence.
However, PDP governors and top stakeholders, after a meeting in Abuja on Thursday, insisted the convention would hold as scheduled. Delegates have already arrived in Ibadan, and the Lekan Salami Stadium has been fully decorated ahead of the event.
The conflicting positions have further widened divisions in the party as it struggles to manage legal setbacks, leadership disputes, and dwindling influence nationwide.
Lamido, speaking during the interview, stressed that attending the convention would amount to rejecting the same judgment he fought for, especially since the court had ordered that the event must not be held.
“This is very clear. For someone saved by the court, I can’t go where there is an injunction on the convention. How do I go there again? Am I now renouncing something I gained in the court?” he asked.
He continued, “If I go to the convention, then it means whatever I have gotten has been washed away. There is a certain order from the court which restored my dignity, and therefore I will stand by the court because I am a party man who believes in law and order.”
Beyond his personal case, Lamido pushed back against claims that he met with governors over the crisis. Instead, he accused PDP governors of contributing to the party’s decline.
“PDP had 14 governors; today, there are only three left. We were 14 governors under the chairmanship of the PDP governors’ forum under Bala Mohammed, Bauchi State Governor. Under [Umar] Damagum today, we are only three. Even the three, two of them are going.
“I mean, the problem came from the governors, because they are so eroded, because they have a wrong notion of themselves. That they are now in charge,” he said.
Although he maintained that he is not desperate to become national chairman, Lamido said he believes he could help rebuild the party’s lost structure.