The crisis within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Katsina State has deepened as the Dr. Mustapha Inuwa-led faction proceeded with its congresses, despite an alleged court order.
Reacting to the development, a party chieftain, Ahmed Aminu-Yar’adua, stated that the exercise was unacceptable to the faction led by Sen. Yakubu Lado. Aminu-Yar’adua made this known during an interview in Katsina on Saturday.
He alleged that no fewer than 7,000 party members were denied the opportunity to purchase forms for the ward, local government, and state congresses. The Inuwa-led faction had earlier accused Lado, the party’s former governorship candidate in the 2023 General Elections in the state, of hijacking the process.
Aminu-Yar’adua, who was Lado’s running mate, explained that aspirants who hoped to participate in the congresses had petitioned the National Secretariat of the PDP but lamented that no action was taken.
“Therefore, we are not participating in any of the congresses because we reject the process due to the injustice done to many of the members. We have taken the issue to the State High Court, seeking to restrain them from conducting the congresses. Our hope is that the court will stop them so that other interested party members can exercise their right to participate,” he said.
In addition, Mustapha Shitu-Mahuta, counsel for the faction loyal to Lado, told newsmen in an interview that they had submitted their court warrant to the party’s National Secretariat and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Shitu-Mahuta expressed surprise that the faction loyal to Inuwa proceeded with the congresses despite the ongoing court issue, noting that they were acting against the law.
He further stated that his clients were seeking the cancellation of the congresses and a court order to restrain the other faction from conducting the exercise in the state.
The faction loyal to Inuwa, who is the former Secretary to the State Government and Director-General of Atiku Abubakar’s Presidential Campaign Organisation, conducted its ward congress in July, followed by the local government congress on Saturday.
The exercise was reported to be peaceful in the Rimi, Charanchi, Batagarawa, Kurfi, and Katsina Local Government Areas. At Rimi LGA, the PDP Electoral Officer, Tijjani Mashasha, supervised the process in the presence of INEC supervisors, police, and other security operatives.
Tijjani Mashasha, who is the PDP Caretaker Chairman for Katsina Zone, stated that the party leadership in the state had not received any court order preventing them from conducting the congresses.
