PDP Crisis Deepens as Factions Clash Over Supreme Court Ruling

Fresh divisions have emerged within the Peoples Democratic Party, as rival camps openly disagreed over the interpretation of a recent judgment by the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

The disagreement, which unfolded during an appearance on Politics Today on Channels Television, underscores the party’s lingering internal crisis despite the apex court’s ruling.

A party chieftain, Jungudo, insisted that the judgment was unequivocal, noting that the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the decisions of both the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court.

According to him, issues surrounding the suspension of certain party officials were never part of the litigation at any stage of the proceedings.

“At no point did either the Federal High Court or the Supreme Court address the issue of suspension. It was never raised before any court,” he argued.

Jungudo also questioned what he described as inconsistencies in the opposing camp’s position regarding key figures such as Samuel Anyanwu and Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN, pointing out that claims had shifted from expulsion to suspension.

He further maintained that the Supreme Court had effectively rendered some of the contentious issues academic, given that the party’s convention had already taken place.

Rejecting claims that the ruling empowered any specific organ of the party to assume control, Jungudo dismissed suggestions that the Board of Trustees had been mandated to take over leadership.

“The court could not have made such a pronouncement,” he said, describing the interpretation as misleading.

He also cautioned the media against describing the party as factionalised, warning that such characterisations could attract legal action.

The development highlights the PDP’s continuing leadership struggle, with the crisis now shifting from judicial proceedings to competing interpretations of the court’s verdict and a broader contest for legitimacy and control.

Source: Vanguard Newspaper