Member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Amah Abraham, has insisted that the ongoing leadership crisis within the party will be resolved by the courts, following guidance from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Speaking on ARISE News on Tuesday, Abraham dismissed claims that he had been suspended from the party, stressing that his position remains intact. He said a meeting between PDP factions and INEC made it clear that the controversial party convention held in Ibadan had not been recognised by the electoral body.
“As I said earlier, with what happened at that meeting, it is very, very clear that everything that happened at Ibadan has not been recognised by INEC.”
According to Abraham, INEC emphasised that the matter remains before the judiciary and warned all factions against taking unilateral actions.
“INEC, as a body, sat on the responsibility of managing the affairs of political parties in Nigeria, have made it very, very clear that for now, that the courts would determine the way forward.”
“What INEC did on that day was an issuance of a vote of caution to the political parties, to the warring factions. It was not a meeting to endorse.”
He further revealed that INEC openly challenged claims of legitimacy by organisers of the Ibadan convention.
“The chairman himself made it very, very clear to him that that convention went ahead against the judgement of two Federal High Courts.”
Abraham argued that the convention process fundamentally breached the PDP’s internal structure and constitutional requirements, noting that several states were excluded.
“The national convention is like a political pyramid. It starts from the ward, to the local governments, and then the states, and then the national convention.”
“By the time you go for a national convention, all the delegates have been activated, and the other lower congresses, they have been activated.”
“But we’re going for a national convention at a time when over 12 states have not conducted a convention.”
He said this exclusion amounted to disenfranchisement of party members in affected states.
“The implication is that if you proceed to a national convention, those states will not have a national delegate.”
“What you have succeeded to do is to disenfranchise them, and that is not the spirit of a national convention.”
Despite acknowledging that the dispute remains unresolved in court, Abraham maintained that his group represents the mainstream faction within the PDP.
He conceded that the legal process is ongoing but insisted that this does not invalidate his faction’s position.
“I know the matter is coming up in appeal court. But it has not been decided.”
On the broader impact of the crisis on the PDP’s ability to function as an opposition party, Abraham described the situation as damaging and unfortunate.
“It is an unfortunate development.”
He said efforts had been made in the past to resolve the crisis through internal mediation, involving senior party figures.
“For the party, we have competent personalities.”
“These people came up with ten recommendations. But unfortunately, the very committee, the very people who set the objectives, they refused.”
Abraham warned that failure to seek reconciliation could have serious consequences for the party.
“When people have crises, even in their families, they must seek help.”
He also addressed accusations of anti-party behaviour, arguing that internal debate does not amount to disloyalty.
“Anti-party is defined as when a party member goes behind the door to do something against his party.”
“When I present a position on the table, I do not go behind the party to work against the interests of the party.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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