PDP Crisis Will Be Resolved by the Courts, INEC Has Not Recognised Ibadan Convention — Abia PDP Chairman, Elder Abraham Amah | #NwokeukwuMascot

 Politics 

The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State, Elder Abraham Amah, has insisted that the lingering leadership crisis rocking the party at the national level will ultimately be resolved by the courts, in line with the position of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Tuesday, Amah firmly dismissed reports claiming that he had been suspended from the party, stressing that his leadership of the Abia State PDP remains intact and legitimate. He disclosed that a recent engagement involving contending PDP factions and INEC clearly established that the controversial national convention held in Ibadan has not been recognised by the electoral umpire.

According to him, INEC made it unequivocally clear that all actions arising from the Ibadan convention remain subject to judicial determination.

“With what happened at that meeting, it is very clear that everything that took place in Ibadan has not been recognised by INEC,” Amah said.

He explained that INEC cautioned all factions against taking unilateral actions while the matter is still before the courts, emphasising that the commission did not convene the meeting to endorse any group.

“INEC made it very clear that the courts will determine the way forward. What INEC did was to issue a vote of caution to the warring factions. It was not a meeting to endorse anybody,” he stated.

Amah further revealed that INEC openly questioned the legitimacy of the Ibadan convention, noting that the commission’s leadership pointed out that the exercise was conducted in defiance of subsisting judgments of two Federal High Courts.

“The INEC chairman made it very clear that the convention went ahead against the judgments of two Federal High Courts,” he added.

Faulting the process that led to the convention, the Abia PDP chairman argued that it violated the party’s internal structure and constitutional provisions. He explained that a valid national convention must follow a clear progression from ward congresses to local government, state, and finally the national level.

“The national convention is like a political pyramid. It starts from the ward to the local governments, then the states, before getting to the national convention,” Amah explained.

He lamented that the convention was held at a time when more than 12 states had not conducted the required congresses, an omission he described as a fundamental breach that effectively disenfranchised party members in those states.

“If you proceed to a national convention under such circumstances, those states will not have national delegates. What you have succeeded in doing is disenfranchising them, and that is not the spirit of a national convention,” he said.

While acknowledging that the legal battle over the crisis is still ongoing, Amah maintained that his group represents the mainstream faction of the PDP. He noted that the appeal process is yet to be concluded and does not invalidate his faction’s standing within the party.

“I know the matter is before the Court of Appeal, but it has not been decided,” he stated.

Commenting on the broader implications of the crisis, Amah described the situation as unfortunate and damaging to the PDP’s role as a viable opposition party. He revealed that previous efforts at internal reconciliation, led by respected party elders, had produced concrete recommendations that were ultimately ignored.

“We have competent personalities in the party. They came up with ten recommendations, but unfortunately, the same people who set the objectives refused to implement them,” he said.

He warned that continued refusal to embrace reconciliation could have grave consequences for the party, likening the crisis to family disputes that require mediation and collective effort to resolve.

Addressing allegations of anti-party activities, Amah rejected the claims, stressing that internal disagreements and open debates do not amount to disloyalty.

“Anti-party behaviour is when a member goes behind closed doors to work against the party. When I present my position openly, I am not working against the interests of the party,” he concluded.

Elder Abraham Amah reaffirmed his commitment to due process, party unity, and the rule of law, expressing confidence that the judiciary would eventually provide clarity and stability to the PDP’s national leadership structure.