Lamido Says Ibadan PDP Convention Void, Mere Friends’ Gathering

Former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, has disowned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) convention held in Ibadan on Saturday, describing it as “a gathering of friends for entertainment, not a legally recognised convention.”
Speaking on ARISE News, Lamido insisted the event held in defiance of a valid court injunction he personally secured on Friday, which, according to him, was duly served on both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the PDP before the gathering took place.
“A convention is defined clearly under our laws and constitution,” Lamido said. “Once a court order has been issued restricting it, there cannot be a convention. Anyone insisting otherwise is flirting with contempt of court.”
He argued that no prior court ruling or legal interpretation could override the fresh injunction, stressing that his Friday order was decisive and binding.
“Interests may interpret the law however they like, but mine is the latest order. It was served on INEC and PDP. They know. Anything held after that is illegal,” he said.
Lamido dismissed comments from PDP chieftain Chief Bode George, who accused him of misunderstanding party nomination procedures.
“I watched him. Very entertaining,” Lamido said with a laugh. “He’s a military man. He doesn’t understand how the PDP was formed in 1998—the philosophy, the dream, the struggle. He was simply brought on board by Obasanjo.”
According to Lamido, George has not fully transitioned from military to democratic political culture:
“He is still a paracivilian—caught somewhere between military mentality and civilian politics.”
Lamido further accused George of leading the faction recently suspended from the PDP.
“That suspended group was led by Bode George himself. He was the elder who encouraged their rebellion,” he alleged.
Lamido insisted the Ibadan exercise holds no legitimacy.
“PDP is a party that should stand for law and order. What happened in Ibadan is not a legal convention. It’s just a meeting of friends entertaining themselves,” he said.
Asked why he opted for legal action instead of internal reconciliation, the former governor revealed he had spent the past two years pleading with leaders privately to rescue the party from decline.
“I have held countless meetings in homes, in offices, begging people. But today, many governors, parliamentarians and leaders don’t care,” he said.
He warned that the PDP’s internal disarray has eroded public trust.
“How can Nigerians trust us to challenge the APC when we can’t organise ourselves?” he asked. “People no longer believe the PDP is capable of resolving its own problems.”