The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Sokoto State has rejected the dissolution of its State Executive Committee by the party’s national leadership, describing the move as unconstitutional and devoid of legal backing.
The party’s national headquarters had earlier announced the immediate dissolution of the Sokoto State executive, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Jungudu Mohammed.
PrimeTimes Nigeria reports that in place of the dissolved executive, the national leadership constituted a 15-member caretaker committee to oversee the party’s affairs in the state.
The committee is to be chaired by Hayatu Tafida, with Ahmed S. Pawa serving as secretary.
However, the decision has been strongly opposed by the existing state leadership.
Reacting to the development, the Sokoto State PDP Chairman, Bello Goronyo, dismissed the dissolution, insisting that the current executive remains the legitimate leadership of the party in the state.
According to him, the executive committee was duly elected and cannot be removed arbitrarily without following due process.
“When I saw the statement, I laughed because you cannot simply dissolve an elected executive. It cannot be done in that manner,” Goronyo said.
“We were duly elected into office, and only a court of law has the authority to remove us. Therefore, we remain the legitimate leaders of the PDP in Sokoto State.”
Goronyo acknowledged the lingering leadership crisis within the party at the national level but maintained that it has no bearing on the tenure or legitimacy of the Sokoto State executive.
He noted that the dispute at the national level is currently before the Supreme Court, adding that due process must be respected at all levels of the party structure.
The Sokoto PDP leadership insisted that any attempt to impose a caretaker committee without constitutional backing would be resisted, stressing the need for the party to uphold internal democracy and the rule of law.