Legal experts have cautioned that if the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) doesn’t immediately address its ongoing leadership problem, it could be barred from the 2027 general elections. The PDP has rejected this warning as baseless and politically driven.
According to the attorneys who spoke with LEADERSHIP Weekend, the party may not be able to hold legitimate primaries or nominate candidates for the upcoming general elections due to the numerous court challenges resulting from its internal leadership dispute.
Abdul Balogun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), stated that the party’s internal strife presents a significant legal risk to its ability to participate in elections. He emphasised that any primary election held by the party would be void in the absence of a legally established leadership.
According to him, the PDP is already a divided house with no clear indication that the crisis would abate soon.
“Unless a proper leadership of the party is put in place, no primary can be held, and no candidate will emerge for elections in 2027. The earlier the crisis is resolved, the better for them, because if things remain the way they are, the party should count itself out of participating in the election,” he said.
Constitutional lawyer Barrister Cornelius Adegbulu also counselled the party to seek internal reconciliation instead of protracted litigation, cautioning that the legal disputes could mean the end for the party that formerly had central authority.
He added that ongoing litigation could further weaken the party and that resolving the issue internally would be quicker and more advantageous than endless court fights.
“An internal solution rather than litigation will help bring the crisis to an end and ensure lasting peace. If the party hopes to participate in the next general election, the cases in court should be withdrawn and the warring factions should come together and reach an amicable settlement,” Adegbulu said.
Ayodele Idowu, a lawyer and law lecturer from Abuja, stated that it is a well-established legal principle that anything cannot be constructed on nothing, pointing out that the appearance of candidates would be legally impossible without a recognised leadership structure.
He warned that the instability is detrimental to Nigeria’s democracy and might erode opposition politics, adding that the situation has already led to defections.
“Party members and supporters are already leaving. Nigerians should have alternative parties to choose from. With the crisis in the PDP, there would hardly have been opposition but for the emergence of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). If this crisis is not resolved, it may mark the end of the PDP if it fails to field a candidate in 2027,” he said.
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The PDP has denied rumours that it would skip the 2027 polls, however. Ime Imemonng, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, characterised the stories as rumours that were purposefully disseminated to harm the party’s reputation.
Imemonng stated that there is no political or legal obstacle keeping the PDP from running in the 2027 elections in an exclusive interview.
“I don’t know where this rumour is coming from. As far as I know, there has been no hindrance to our participation in the 2027 election,” he said.
He noted that the list of PDP candidates presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had been approved and corrected, citing the party’s recent involvement in local council elections in the Federal Capital Territory.
Imemonng explained that the removal of the party’s candidate for governor of Ekiti State was related to legal action regarding the primary election’s conduct rather than the party’s validity.
He claims that the Court of Appeal is currently considering the case and that the impacted candidate is awaiting the decision.
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