Intense efforts by Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his associates including Senator Dino Melaye and the G60 Reps caucus of the party to cause removal of the party’s acting National Chairman, Illya Umar Damagum, have failed.
Rather, the National Caucus which had Atiku and his fiercest rival, Nyesom Wike, the current FCT Minister, largely blamed for the formen’s defeat in 2023, in attendance among others gave a nod for Damagum to continue to lead the party.
The outcome has dealt a big blow to Atiku and his associates who had campaigned vehemently for Damagum’s replacement that he’s a Wike man and had allowed him to harm the party on account of his activities since losing the party ticket in 2023 to Atiku.
Atiku had clinched the PDP ticket beating Wike to the second spot. The former Rivers State Governor teamed up with the ruling All Progressives Congress and ensured the APC won the presidential election.
He’s compensated and is serving as the FCT minister.
The plan was to force out Damagum after which Wike will “be dealt with appropriately” by the new chairman, a member of NEC explained.
However, that was not to be at least for now as the National Caucus which Damagum presided over resolved in a long meeting that began on Wednesday and spilled over to Thursday to shelve any change of leadership and instead address key issues at today’s meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC).
Briefing journalists after the meeting, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said the caucus considered reconciliation and unity to any change of leadership.
He said the “NEC meeting will not discuss any change in leaders. Rather, attention is focused on unity and reconciliation”
The “Caucus agreed that all congresses in the states and local government should be concluded between June and August this year.”
The “caucus agreed on the extension of the constitution review committee of the party to accept new recommendations,” Ologunagba stated.
A flurry of activities elsewhere had led to belief that PDP which has been beset with crisis would emerge stronger if a new national chairman emerges.
First was the revelation by Chief EK Ashiekaa, SAN, lawyer to the suspended national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, who revealed in a letter to the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, that Ayu had withdrawn his appeal from the court of appeal.
That sent jubilation to the camp of the PDP with the G60 lawmakers gunning for Damagum’s ouster convening an emergency meeting to say it “was a step in the right direction” and that “Damagum has no option than to resign for a new chairman to emerge at our NEC meeting.”
However, the Chairman of the PDP Governors, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, disclosed to journalists at the venue of the meeting that, on the fate of Damagum, “only the National Executive Committee will decide.”
He revealed that, “The meeting reviewed recent developments in the Peoples Democratic Party and urged the National Working Committee of the Party to set in motion the machinery to conduct credible congresses in all the states, where tenures of party officers have expired.
“The meeting noted that there are no factions in the PDP and everybody is working together. We equally want to use this opportunity to reaffirm that in Rivers State, the governors would work assiduously towards resolving all the issues in the state with a view to uniting all the stakeholders,” he said.
The meeting was attended by Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, who is the Vice Chairman of the PDP governors forum.
Other governors at the meeting were Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State, Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Omobayo Godwins and the Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ossai.
Also in attendance were former national chairman, Harilu Bello, Jona Jang, Emmanuel Bello, former national chairman Ahmed Markafi, Emeka Ihedioha, Bode George, Ndudi Elumelu, Aminu Tambuwal, Ben Obi, Senator Akubundu (former National Organising Secretary), and all NWC members, among others.