A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has declared that the party has not barred anyone from contesting its national chairmanship position in its November 2025 elective convention despite the push for a consensus candidate.
Speaking against the backdrop of the interest in the position by former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, George declared that Lamido has every right to contest the PDP national chairmanship position.
He argued that despite the push for a consensus candidate by the party, every aspirant is free to pick the form and contest any position of interest.
George said the consensus option is not binding on any aspirant, and delegates would vote during the convention.
“This has been part of the practice in the PDP. The fact that some leaders converge to support one person as a consensus candidate doesn’t mean others cannot compete.
“You want to make the process seamless and non-combative. We’ve done this before, but the party has never told anyone they cannot contest. Governor Sule Lamido has the right to compete.
“He can get the form, fill it, and appear on the convention day. We will vote. That is the practice in our party,” George stated during Tuesday’s edition on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Naija News recalls that Lamido had declared interest in the PDP National Chairman position but lamented that he was denied the expression of interest and nomination forms when he visited the secretariat on Monday to purchase them.
He threatened to go to court if the PDP denies him the opportunity to contest in the forthcoming party convention in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Reacting to his threat, George, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BOT), submitted that while Lamido has every right to contest, heading to court without exhausting all internal party mechanisms for resolving such internal disputes may attract punishment.
“This party is not owned by any individual. Before taking the party to court, you must exhaust the internal dynamics of the party. If you fail to do that, you can be punished,” he said.
George stressed again that Lamido is free to contest but warned against going to court, assuring that the convention would be conducted in a free and fair atmosphere.
“So, he is exercising his rights. But if he goes to court for this, he can be punished. Let him go, nobody will deny him any form, and he can compete. The final decision will be by delegates attending the convention, and it will be done openly,” George stated.
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