Chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory have called on security agencies to investigate allegations of forged and distorted court judgments linked to a rival group led by Tanimu Turaki, SAN, declaring that Nigeria must be governed by law, not propaganda.
The party leaders said the PDP crisis has gone beyond an internal leadership disagreement and now raises broader concerns about respect for the rule of law, public order and the party’s legal identity.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Chairman of the PDP Chairmen’s Forum, Hon. Austin Nwachukwu, alongside the forum’s Secretary, Hon. Babandi Ibrahim Gumel, said the intervention was driven by a responsibility to protect the party’s integrity.
According to the forum, there is only one legally recognised leadership of the PDP, led by National Chairman Alhaji Abdulraham Mohammed and National Secretary Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu, which they said is recognised by both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the courts.
The chairmen accused the Turaki-led group of presenting itself as a legitimate faction despite existing court decisions, describing the action as an attempt to create confusion within the party. They maintained that “Nigeria is a nation of laws, not of propaganda,” warning that expelled members should not be allowed to replace judicial pronouncements with public statements.
As part of efforts to resolve the PDP crisis, the forum appealed to former President Goodluck Jonathan to publicly dissociate himself from what it described as the unauthorised use of his name by the rival group.
The chairmen alleged that Jonathan’s presidential nomination was manually submitted to INEC despite an authorised electronic submission already being made by the recognised party leadership. They urged the former president to protect his reputation and reassure Nigerians by clarifying his position, noting that his influence and moral standing remain significant in the country’s democratic space.
The forum also urged the Abdulraham Mohammed-led National Working Committee (NWC) to initiate contempt proceedings and other legal actions against those it accused of impersonation, forgery and disobedience of court orders.
It further called on security agencies to investigate alleged criminal forgery and manipulation of court judgments, warning that such actions could undermine public confidence in the justice system and threaten public peace. The chairmen specifically appealed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to direct a security review of a building in Area 10, Garki, Abuja, which they alleged was being used to coordinate activities capable of disrupting law and order.
The forum announced plans to release certified true copies of relevant court judgments to journalists in a bid to counter what it described as misleading interpretations of judicial decisions surrounding the PDP crisis. It also commended the National Working Committee for successfully conducting the sale of nomination forms, organising party primaries, producing Prof. Senator Sandy Onor as the PDP presidential candidate and overseeing the upload and publication of the party’s candidates by INEC.
While acknowledging the ongoing leadership dispute, the chairmen urged members nationwide to remain calm and united, insisting that the PDP remains a strong democratic institution that cannot be undermined by the actions of a few expelled individuals.
