The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Katsina State is entangled in a bitter power struggle, mirroring a larger national trend of internal discord within the party. Two factions, each looking to get control, have taken opposing paths regarding the crucial ward, local, and state congresses.
One faction, led by former Secretary to the State Government Dr. Mustapha Mohammed Inuwa, has taken a legal route, filing a lawsuit alleging unfair access to nomination forms and seeking an injunction to halt the congresses.
However, the opposing faction, spearheaded by Senator Yakubu Lado, the party’s 2023 gubernatorial candidate, has defied the court injunction, pressing forward with the ward congresses across the state’s 361 wards on July 27th, 2024.
This defiance extended to the local government congresses held on August 10th, 2024, in 34 of the state’s local government areas. The Inuwa faction, awaiting the court’s decision, boycotted the exercise.
Despite the legal challenge, the Lado faction, with supervision from officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security personnel, conducted the local government congresses peacefully.
The PDP caretaker chairman for Katsina Zone, Tijjani Umar, overseeing the congress in Rimi, dismissed knowledge of any legal injunction, claiming the process was merely an internal matter that would be resolved amicably.
This internal conflict has cast a shadow over the PDP’s future in Katsina State, highlighting the divisions within the party and raising questions about its ability to unite and prepare for upcoming elections.
