Despite endless crises, PDP remains a factor in Nigerian politics —Biggs

A stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a factional gubernatorial candidate in Plateau State, Mr. Sunday Garba Biggs, is a loyalist of the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the party. He speaks with ISAAC SHOBAYO on the state of PDP among other issues. Excerpts:

THE once vibrant Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is struggling with multiple litigations; do you see the party surviving this ordeal?

Like I’ve always said, it’s an in-house disagreement that we are trying to sort out. However, we are before the public now because the matter is before the courts of the land to adjudicate on some of the crucial issues facing us as a political party. As it stands, the two factions are operating simultaneously, and the matter is before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The judiciary had initially finished its job. The Court of Appeal had spoken, the Supreme Court had spoken, and all the judgments that were delivered were in favour of the Turaki faction. However, the judgments were presented to INEC for implementation, and INEC was mute about them. That became a source of concern to all of us. Therefore, we had recourse to the courts again to seek an order compelling INEC to respect the judgments of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. That was what took us before the Federal High Court, where an order of mandamus was being sought. All the BOT members went to court for was to seek an order compelling INEC, but the court delved into issues of the party’s leadership, which, as far as we are concerned, had already been settled by the Court of Appeal.

Dissatisfied with that judgment, we are back at the Court of Appeal so that it can intervene. We were not satisfied with the pronouncement made by the Federal High Court judge, and we believe that the Court of Appeal, which…