Mallam Umar Sani, former Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to ex–Vice President Namadi Sambo, has accused some North-West leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of plotting with a “Southern politician” to destabilize the party.
According to Sani, the move comes after former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), was endorsed as the consensus candidate for the PDP’s national chairmanship position.
He specifically accused the PDP National Organising Secretary, Capt. Umar Bature, of leading a small group within the party to oppose Turaki’s endorsement. Sani argued that Bature’s claim that only the North-West should decide the nominee since the position was zoned to the region is “politically weak and historically wrong.”
He explained that the emergence of a national chairman in a major political party like the PDP has never been limited to a single region, noting that previous chairmen were often chosen through broad consultations and with input from powerful party leaders and governors.
Sani recalled that from Solomon Lar to Adamu Mu’azu, PDP national chairmen were usually endorsed or influenced by key figures in the party.
He added that Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State only followed the party’s tradition when he announced Turaki as the consensus candidate after northern PDP governors and stakeholders met in Abuja. Fintiri had also stated that other aspirants were free to contest at the party’s November convention.
Sani criticized Capt. Bature for rebelling against the governors’ decision, calling it an act of “ingratitude,” since Bature himself became the PDP National Organising Secretary through the backing of former Sokoto Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.
He alleged that Bature was now working with a former Kebbi PDP governorship candidate and a few supporters from Sokoto and Jigawa States in a bid to push an unpopular agenda.
“The North-West cannot claim the sole right to choose the next PDP national chairman when the position concerns the whole country and affects the unity of the party,” Sani said.
He praised the endorsement of Turaki, describing it as a wise decision based on competence, integrity, and the ability to stabilize the PDP during challenging times.
“Those opposing Turaki’s endorsement are putting personal interests above the party’s unity,” Sani said. “The so-called North-West meeting is nothing more than a show of entitlement a political tantrum by those mistaking selfish ambition for regional interest.”
