Jigawa PDP crisis festers, factions bicker over Lamido, Ringim

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Jigawa State, on Tuesday, took a new dimension with the purported suspension of a two-time governor of the state, Alhaji Sule Lamido, by a faction of the party in the state.

Recall that the candidate of the party for the Jigawa governorship elections in 2015 and 2019, Mallam Aminu Ibrahim Ringim, was last week expelled over alleged anti-party activities. Ringim had since described his expulsion as baseless.

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However, yesterday, a faction loyal to Ringim announced the expulsion of Lamido, one of the founding fathers of the party.

Addressing a press conference in Dutse yesterday, the spokesman of the youth group, Nura Danjani, claimed they decided to save the party from total collapse as a result of the alleged anti-party activities of the former governor.

Danjani said no individual or group had the authority to expel any member of the party. Besides, he claimed the purported expulsion of Ringim was done without following the rules and regulations in the constitution of the party.

The factional leader claimed that the state chapter of the party does not have legitimate leadership, as it has failed to conduct a ward congress, which is a prerequisite for local and state congresses. He added that the ward congress, which was to take place in March last year, was not concluded as confirmed by the leader of the committee sent by the national headquarters of the party, Senator Isah Hamma Misau.

However, Rabi’u Jarhula, spokesman of Lamido Political Network, described the claims as baseless, saying Ringim’s expulsion stands. He said when Ringim was expelled, the reasons for his expulsion were offered, which he said, still stand.

He said those claiming to have expelled Lamido were not members of the party, but thugs hired to destabilize the party in the state.

“They should come forward and tell us who they are. We don’t know them in PDP. They don’t belong to the party, they were hired to destroy the party for the selfish reasons of a few individuals,” he said.