Katsina PDP crisis deepens as faction flouts court order, holds congresses

The crisis rocking the People’s Democratic Party in Katsina State has deepened as Senator Yakubu Lado-led faction conducted its congresses despite a court order obtained by a rival faction.

Reacting to the development, a chieftain of the party, Ahmed Aminu-Yar’adua, said that the exercise was not acceptable to the Dr Mustapha Inuwa-led faction.

Mr Aminu-Yar’adua said this during an interview in Katsina on Saturday.

He alleged that about 7,000 party members were denied the right to purchase forms for the ward, local government and state congresses.

The Inuwa-led faction earlier accused Mr Lado, a former governorship candidate of the party in the 2023 poll in the state of hijacking the process.

Mr Aminu-Yar’adua, who was Mr Lado’s running mate, said that the aspirants, who hoped to participate in the congresses, petitioned the national Secretariat of PDP but regretted that nothing was done.

“Therefore we are not participating in any of the congresses, because we rejected the process due 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 wish is that the court should stop them, so that other interested party members would be allowed to exercise their right to participate,” he said.

Also, Mustapha Shitu-Mahuta, counsel for the faction loyal to Mr Inuwa told journalists during an interview that they submitted the court warrant to the party’s national secretariat and the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Mr Shitu-Mahuta expressed surprise that the faction loyal to Mr Lado went ahead with the congresses, in spite of the court warrant, saying that they went against the law.

He further said that his clients were seeking the cancellation of the congresses and restraining the other faction from conducting the exercise in the state.

The faction loyal to Mr Lado, conducted its ward congress in July, while that of the local government took place on Saturday.

The exercise was peaceful in Rimi, Charanchi, Batagarawa, Kurfi and Katsina LGAs.

At Rimi LGA, the PDP Electoral Officer, Tijjani-Mashasha supervised the process in the presence of INEC supervisors, police and other security operatives.

Mr Tijjani-Mashasha, who is the PDP Caretaker Chairman, Katsina Zone, said that the party leadership in the state did not receive any court warrant stopping them from conducting the congresses.

(NAN)