Controversy has trailed the conduct of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) ward, local and state congresses in Katsina State over the persistent leadership tussles that split the party into two factions in the state.
A faction led by the former Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Mustapha Inuwa has filed a suit before the state High Court, asking the court to restrain the party from conducting the congresses over their inability to access forms for the exercise.
The Inuwa’s faction, through its counsel, M.S. Mahuta, filed the suit on behalf of 7,905 aspirants and nine others before Justice Abbas Bawale of the state High Court on July 8, 2024.
But another faction of the party in the state led by Senator Yakubu Lado, the 2023 governorship candidate of the party, defiled the suit and conducted the ward congresses across the 361 political wards of the state.
The Lado faction also conducted a local government congress on Saturday in the 34 local government areas of the state, while the Inuwa’s faction shunned the exercise, awaiting the court verdict on their suit.
The Saturday’s exercise in Rimi, Charanchi, and Kurfi Local Government Areas, reports that the congress was conducted peacefully with supervision by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security personnel.
Conducting the local government congress in Rimi, the PDP caretaker Chairman for Katsina Zone, Tijjani Umar, feigned ignorance of any court order restricting the party from conducting congresses in the state.
He said: “We conducted ward congress two weeks ago, and today being the 10th of August, 2024, we conducted the local government congress in Rimi where we elected 18 local government excos and national delegates.
“We are aware of a court case, but we have not received any court order restricting us from conducting the congresses. It is an in-house issue that will be resolved amicably by God’s grace.”
However, Mahuta, the counsel to the plaintiffs, addressing some journalists said they had filed a suit restraining the PDP from conducting both the ward, local, and state congresses in the state.
He said the refusal of the defendant (PDP) to sell Expression of Interest and Nomination forms to his clients to contest vacant elective positions in the congresses contravened Article 49(1) and (2) of the party’s constitution.
According to him, “The court has fixed Monday, August 12, for us to come and hear the motion for interlocutory injunction.”
