PDP Crisis: Govs Mount Fresh Pressure On Damagum
The Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ambassador Umar Ilyas Damagum, has come under fresh pressure from stakeholders of the party who want him out.
This time, they hope to seal his fate not later than February 2025.
The PDP Governors’ Forum, the party’s Board of Trustees, National Assembly Caucus, former Governors Forum, Former Ministers’ Forum and the National Working Committee (NWC) yesterday met in Jos, the Plateau State capital, where they directed the Damagum-led NWC to call the much postponed meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) by the first week of February.
The planned deliberation, according to them, is to allow for elaborate consultations with critical stakeholders of the party.
They plan to use the period between now and the forthcoming meeting to “address the existential problems confronting the party, with a deliberate timeline of activities within the period under review to address issues of leadership and litigations” facing it.
The anti-Damagum members do not want him to remain in the saddle until November next year when he could have influence on the election of the party’s next leadership that will oversee the emergence of the party’s presidential candidate in 2027.
But sources told The Nation last night that the plot might not work out as envisaged.
At yesterday’s meeting, some participants, notably from the North Central Caucus led by Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang, pressed for a PDP NEC meeting to decide on a substantive national chairman from the zone to complete Senator Iyorchia Ayu’s tenure.
It was however gathered that some other members including the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Alhaji Bala Mohammed, were able to calm frayed nerves.
A source said: “With a clear expression of common conviction that the current economic challenges (in the country) would ensure PDP’s victory in 2027, Governor Bala Mohammed and Governor Seyi Makinde, who considered lingering indications that preparations for PDP zonal congresses might be another excuse for the Damagum-led PDP National Working Committee to do a fifth postponement of PDP NEC Meeting, proposed a firm consensus that the meeting must take place in late January or early February 2025.”
The NEC meeting had been shifted four times, leaving those against Damagum’s continued stay in office apparently frustrated.
The situation almost got out of hand on October 11 when the pro and anti-Damagum sides resorted to self-help with each side claiming to sack key party functionaries loyal to the other side.
The Damagum group went a step further by obtaining a court order restraining the party from removing him as acting national chairman.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja also restrained the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) and the Board of Trustees (BoT) from recognising any person other than Damagum as PDP chairman until the national convention of the party scheduled for December next year.
Justice Lifu held that under Articles 42, 47 and 67 of the PDP constitution, it is only at the National Convention of the party that national officers can be elected.
The judge said PDP members are bound by the constitution of the party and as such must always act in line with the provisions and obedience to the party’s law.
Why removing Damagum now may be tough —Sources
Party sources told The Nation last night that the injunction obtained by the Damagum group may constitute a stumbling block for those agitating for his ouster.
One of the sources, a former governor elected on the platform of the party, said the PDP as a party that often lays claim to being democratic could not afford to be seen disregarding a court order.
The NEC meeting had been shifted four times, leaving those against Damagum’s continued stay in office apparently frustrated.
The situation almost got out of hand on October 11 when the pro and anti-Damagum sides resorted to self-help with each side claiming to sack key party functionaries loyal to the other side.
The Damagum group went a step further by obtaining a court order restraining the party from removing him as acting national chairman.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja also restrained the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) and the Board of Trustees (BoT) from recognising any person other than Damagum as PDP chairman until the national convention of the party scheduled for December next year.
Justice Lifu held that under Articles 42, 47 and 67 of the PDP constitution, it is only at the National Convention of the party that national officers can be elected.
The judge said PDP members are bound by the constitution of the party and as such must always act in line with the provisions and obedience to the party’s law.
Why removing Damagum now may be tough —Sources
Party sources told The Nation last night that the injunction obtained by the Damagum group may constitute a stumbling block for those agitating for his ouster.
One of the sources, a former governor elected on the platform of the party, said the PDP as a party that often lays claim to being democratic could not afford to be seen disregarding a court order.
The source said the party has eminent lawyers in its fold who are always ready to call attention to any move to breach the principles of democracy.
Other sources said Damagum, who is believed to be particularly close to Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesome Wike, keeps working hard to consolidate his position.
Last week, he met with newly-elected PDP state chairmen and incumbent chairmen from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Speaking with reporters shortly before the meeting, Damagum said the state chairmen’s visit was more of a familiarization visit than the expectation of tension and threats that was being disseminated on social media.
Damagum said: “My state chairmen are my commanders in the states. This is not an unusual meeting; we’ve had this kind of meetings before.
“This is not the first time, and for the records, I want to make it very clear that this meeting is to interact with the state chairmen.
“You can see from the introduction, more than half of the state chairmen here are brand new and it is for us to know ourselves and also discuss other matters such as the coming Zonal Congresses.
“It has nothing to do, like has been insinuated in the social media, about NEC or something of that nature, and I had no prior meeting with any of the state chairmen before we met in this hall.”
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues after the meeting, Chief Austin Nwachukwu, the Imo State PDP Chairman, who is also the Interim Chairman of PDP State Chairmen’s Forum, told reporters that there was no tension, adding that they also found no need to declare a vote of confidence in Ambassador Damagum because all is well with the party’s leadership.
We remain resolute on party unity, cohesion for national leadership, say PDP govs, others
In a communiqué at the end of yesterday’s meeting in Jos, the PDP Governors Forum acknowledged the party’s internal conflicts and divisions, but said the PDP remained resolute on its unity and cohesion to regain power at the centre.
The meeting said it was constrained to “accept the latest postponement of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party in empathy with our colleague, H.E. Governor Eno Bassey, whose late dear wife will be buried on the same day earlier scheduled for NEC.
“Once again, the Forum wishes to commiserate with our colleague and pray that God will grant him and the family the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.
“The Forum is strongly advising the NWC to call NEC latest by the first week of February 2025 to allow for elaborate consultations with critical stakeholders of the party.
“The period between November and February is to address the existential problems confronting the Party, with a deliberate timeline of activities within the period under review to address issues of leadership and litigations confronting the Party.”
It decried the “oppressive economic hardship foisted on the nation by the policies and decisions of the APC-led Federal Government,” and asked the President to “urgently review both macroeconomic and fiscal policies that will address the welfare and well-being of Nigerians.”
The Forum pledged that all PDP governors would “continue to aggressively pursue policies and “programmes that will reduce the hardship and ensure progress and development”.
It also deplored the conduct of the recent governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states, both of which were won by the APC.
It said: “The Forum notes with concern the rape on democracy in Edo governorship election. It is clear to everyone with conscience that INEC manipulated results in favour of the APC candidate when in fact majority of lawful votes were won by the PDP candidate, Mr. Asue Ighodalo.
“Meanwhile, we are still examining the documents in Ondo elections where the APC manipulated results after openly buying votes.
“The Forum calls on the judiciary to save Nigerian democracy and the National Assembly to look into our electoral laws to make it difficult for institutional sabotage of the will of the people.”
In attendance at the meeting were Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed (Bauchi State), Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau State), host governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas (Taraba State), Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa State).
Others were Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State; Dr. Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State; Sir Monday Onyeme, Deputy Governor, Delta State and Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai, Deputy Governor Enugu State.
Row over Kogi PDP chairmanship election result
The runner up at the PDP Kogi State chairmanship election of August 31, 2024, Mohammad Gambo, yesterday asked the party’s national leadership to swear him in as the duly elected state chairman in the election.
He warned that failure to do so would cause further danger for the party in the state.
Gambo said he must be sworn in “with immediate effect and to enable me assume the responsibility of repositioning our party for victory ahead the 2007 general election.”
Gambo claimed that a high court had barred Enemona Anyebe who was declared winner from contesting in the election.
Gambo, who displayed copies of certified true copy (CTC) of the court ruling, said: “The illegality associated with having Enemona Anyebe as Chairman, having not been duly elected, having been barred from contesting by a court order through an injunction that was not vacated, is criminal and a crime against humanity, particularly for law abiding members of the PDP in Kogi State who have remained in the party as founding members.
“Having therefore emerged as runner-up, it behoves the NWC to swear me in without let or hindrance.
“It is important to place on record that the court order which debarred Hon. Enemona from contesting in the said PDP congress has become public knowledge implying that any interested party or person within and outside PDP can use it to upturn any primaries conducted by him.”
When contacted on the phone, Anyebe said he was on transit, adding that he would react at appropriate time.
“I am now on transit. I will react at the appropriate time,” he said.
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