A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Magaji Mato, has warned political aspirants against purchasing nomination forms from any faction within the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, emphasizing that such candidates may face legal challenges due to the recent Supreme Court judgment on the party’s leadership crisis. Speaking on Friday during Arise Television’s Morning Show, Mato stressed that the apex court’s decision did not recognize any specific faction as the legitimate leadership of the PDP, leaving the party’s structure in legal limbo.
The Supreme Court’s ruling, delivered in the wake of a protracted internal dispute, failed to endorse any single leadership group, meaning no faction can legally claim exclusive control over the party’s affairs. As a result, Mato cautioned that aspirants buying nomination forms under any one faction are doing so at their own risk. He warned that rival factions or even other political parties could challenge the legitimacy of such candidates in court, especially during election litigation.
According to Mato, the most appropriate course of action after the Supreme Court’s judgment would have been for the PDP’s Board of Trustees to convene all aggrieved factions and work toward reconciliation before proceeding with party activities. He noted that such a move could have helped unify the party and ensured that candidates fielded under the PDP banner were legally recognized. However, he expressed serious doubt that reconciliation would be possible before the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, deadline for submission of candidates.
Mato further stated that any faction operating under the PDP platform without additional judicial validation may eventually have to defend its legitimacy in court. He emphasized that the Supreme Court’s judgment does not grant any group the authority to act as the sole representative of the party. “I can guarantee you, going by the judgment of the Supreme Court, there is no any particular leadership of the party as at the time of the judgment,” he said.
He added that if aspirants choose to proceed with forms from a particular faction, they do so knowing the risks involved. “They have their reason why they are doing that (selling form). They know probably what they intend to achieve,” Mato said. “But if you are to go by the judgment of the Supreme Court, what should have been done is for both sides to come together. The Board of Trustees to gather, call all the warring factions together, and then chat a way forward and move on.”
Despite the urgency of the INEC deadline, Mato believes reconciliation is unlikely, raising concerns about the legal standing of candidates emerging from factional processes. He concluded that any faction continuing to operate under the PDP name without further court backing may have to face legal scrutiny. The outcome of this leadership impasse could have lasting implications for the party’s electoral prospects and Nigeria’s broader political landscape.
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