By Ikechukwu Samuel
Chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory have called on security agencies to investigate what they described as the alleged forgery and distortion of court judgments by a rival group led by Tanimu Turaki, SAN. They insisted that “Nigeria is a nation of laws, not of propaganda.”
The PDP state leaders said the dispute had gone beyond an internal leadership tussle and now posed a threat to the rule of law, public order, and the party’s legal identity.
They appealed for intervention from the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Nyesom Wike, and former President Goodluck Jonathan to safeguard the party’s integrity.
Speaking in Abuja, Chairman of the PDP Chairmen’s Forum, Hon. Austin Nwachukwu, explained that the forum was acting “not out of bitterness, but out of duty” to defend the party’s credibility. The petition was jointly endorsed by Secretary Hon. Babandi Ibrahim Gumel.
“Nigeria is a nation of laws, not of propaganda. No group of expelled and recalcitrant individuals should be allowed to substitute court pronouncements with press statements,” the chairmen declared.
The forum maintained that there is only one recognised PDP leadership, accusing Turaki’s group of falsely presenting itself as a faction despite subsisting court judgments.
“There is only one PDP, recognised by INEC and by the courts, and it is the PDP led by the NWC under Alhaji Abdulraham Mohammed as National Chairman and Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu as National Secretary. We reject this identity theft and demand that relevant authorities compel them to desist,” the chairmen said.
They also urged Jonathan to publicly distance himself from what they described as the unauthorised use of his name by the rival group, alleging that his name had been manually submitted to INEC despite an authorised electronic submission.
“Mr. President, your words still guide this nation: ‘My ambition is not worth the blood of a single Nigerian.’ We call on you, in view of the global image and moral authority you command, to address Nigerians directly and disassociate yourself from the continuous use of your name in this spectacle of macabre dance by expelled PDP members,” they said.
The chairmen asked the Abdulraham Mohammed-led NWC to institute contempt proceedings and other legal actions against the expelled members over alleged impersonation, forgery, and disobedience of court orders.
They further called on security agencies to investigate what they described as criminal forgery and distortion of court judgments, warning that the actions of the rival group posed a threat to public peace.
Additionally, they urged Wike to order a security review of a building in Area 10, Garki, Abuja, which they alleged was being used to coordinate activities capable of disrupting law and order.
The forum pledged to provide certified true copies of relevant court judgments to journalists to counter what they described as misleading interpretations of the rulings.
They commended the NWC for overseeing the sale of nomination forms, party primaries, the emergence of Prof. Senator Sandy Onor as the PDP presidential candidate, and the upload and publication of candidates’ particulars by INEC.
The chairmen urged party members to remain calm and united despite the leadership dispute.
“The PDP is bigger than any individual or group of individuals. It is an institution built on sacrifice, law, and the will of the people. We, the 36 States and FCT Chairmen, will not allow a few expelled persons to trample or hijack that legacy,” the forum said.
