PDP will not fall, Turaki insists

The factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Tanimu Turaki (SAN), has said that the party will not give in to what he called the actions of undemocratic forces trying to weaken it.

Turaki spoke on Saturday in Abuja. This was during a visit from the party’s 2027 governorship candidates who support the Interim National Working Committee. They came to show their support after a recent court ruling.

The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal from the Turaki faction’s Board of Trustees Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, and seven others. They wanted the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognize the Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee.

The three-member panel, led by Justice Ugochukwu Ogakwu, supported the July ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja. That earlier ruling also refused to give the relief they sought.

Reacting to the ruling, Turaki said the PDP will stay strong and keep working to overcome its current challenges. He said, “I have listened to you. Other members of the NWC of the PDP have also listened to you. Your message is quite succinct and clear, and the sum total of your message is that the PDP must survive. For us, whatever we are doing is to ensure that the only surviving legacy party in Nigeria, the Peoples Democratic Party, does not go down.

“We shall remain resolute in this. We will fight on. We will stand up because, when the going gets tough like this, it is often said that only the tough get going.

“Since the judgment of the Court of Appeal a few days ago, we have received a lot of calls from unbelievable quarters, from our founding fathers and mothers, from members of our Board of Trustees, who, in any case, have gone to court to ventilate this matter, from other leaders, past and present, other lovers of democracy in Nigeria, and other Nigerians who feel that the situation in this country is not only appalling but indeed unbelievable.

“Nobody would have thought that Nigeria would have found itself in the kind of situation we find ourselves in today. Nigeria will never go down. The PDP will also not go down. Whatever machinations anybody or any group of persons may make, we want to tell them that the PDP will continue to survive and remain the quintessential party that it has always been.”

Turaki mentioned that the party has asked its lawyers to review last Wednesday’s Court of Appeal ruling and suggest the next steps.

He said the PDP Board of Trustees did not file a fresh suit but sought clarification on existing court rulings that confirm his leadership and the party’s candidates for 2027.

Turaki added, “These candidates have had their names and particulars sent to INEC, and INEC had accepted them, from the presidential candidate to the National Assembly and our governorship candidates, as well as candidates vying for various seats in the state Houses of Assembly across Nigeria.

“What the Board of Trustees is saying is that, having accepted the list of our candidates who emerged through this elaborate process, INEC is under an obligation not only to put the names of these leaders on its portal but also to display the names of these candidates as the PDP’s candidates for the 2027 election. So, all we were asking the courts to do was to interpret these judgments.

“What is the effect of the combination of these judgments? So, for anybody to begin to say, ‘Oh, you are filing a new case; you are doing this thing,’ they are missing the point. They are missing the point. We hope that, should our team of lawyers also take this matter to the apex court, that court will be able to see through our grievances, and justice shall be done by the special grace of God.

“Meanwhile, I want to assure Your Excellencies and your other colleagues who are not here, and through you, other candidates, our respective candidates, that there is indeed going to be a bright, sunny day at the end of the tunnel. This struggle will continue. We are hopeful that we will win, and we are hopeful that, after winning, PDP candidates shall be on the ballot.”

Earlier, the Chairman of the Turaki-led PDP Forum of Governorship Candidates, Sunday Biggs, urged the party’s Interim National Working Committee to work harder on reconciliation and unity, especially at the grassroots.

Biggs called for an urgent legal action at the Supreme Court, regular talks with members, and a solid strategy to strengthen the party for the 2027 general elections.

He said, “The visit was to interact with the INWC, show solidarity with its members and encourage them to undertake a strategic plan aimed at sensitising and unifying the party, especially at the grassroots level.

“Furthermore, we want to ensure that the appeal to the Supreme Court is pursued with urgency, competence and all necessary legal preparations. We also want them to establish a broader platform for reconciliation and constructive engagement among aggrieved members.

“The challenges confronting us today must not define our future. What should define us is our ability to remain united, demonstrate courage, respect the rule of law and rise above individual interests.

“We urge the Interim National Working Committee to remain focused, courageous and committed to the task of preserving our great party. As governorship candidates, we assure you of our cooperation, loyalty and readiness to contribute our quota towards rebuilding the PDP into a stronger, more united and electorally competitive political institution.