A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Oba Maduabuchi, has criticised what he described as glaring legal contradictions fueling the crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), warning that the party cannot move forward under the current confusion.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television, closely monitored by ENigeria Newspaper, Maduabuchi faulted recent court decisions and party actions, arguing that they lack coherence and have deepened internal disputes.
“You can’t say the Pro-Wike faction was rightly expelled from the party and then affirm Abdulrahman Mohammed-led administration as authentic,” he said.
According to the senior lawyer, the contradiction lies in the fact that individuals reportedly expelled were later returned as part of the party’s leadership structure following its national convention.
He pointed to a ruling by Justice James Omotoso of the Federal High Court, describing it as inconsistent with earlier positions that validated the expulsion of members of the pro-Wike bloc.
To explain how the crisis escalated, Maduabuchi traced the party’s leadership trajectory, beginning with the tenure of former national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.
“For us to appreciate how bad things have gotten, we have to go back to the beginning. Iyorchia Ayu was the national chairman of the PDP, and everybody accepted it,” he said.
He noted that Ayu’s removal paved the way for Umar Damagum to assume leadership, though not without challenges.
“He was removed, and Umar Damagum stepped into his shoes. Damagum was having his problems, but whatever it was, he lasted till December 2025 when his tenure ended.”
Maduabuchi said the situation became more complicated with the emergence of Abdulrahman Mohammed as head of a caretaker structure.
“That’s where we started having problems. There’s this Mohammed Abdulrahman who suddenly became chairman or acting chairman of the caretaker committee. I, for one, did not know how he came up,” he stated.
He further revealed that the Damagum-led National Working Committee had duly notified the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) about its plans to hold a convention, which was acknowledged.
“And Damagum NWC informed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that they were going to hold a meeting with respect to having their convention and all that, which INEC accepted. They were given 21 days.”
Despite that process, he said, the outcome only compounded the crisis, as decisions taken at the convention appeared to contradict earlier disciplinary actions.
“The meeting was held, and in the meeting, certain people were dismissed or expelled from the party,” he added.
Maduabuchi maintained that without a definitive judicial pronouncement to resolve the inconsistencies, the party would remain stuck in internal conflict.
“In fact, without a Supreme Court judgment, PDP cannot progress,” he stated.
