The crisis rocking the major opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a frightening turn as a party chieftain, Imam Awal, dragged it to court ahead of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for Thursday October 24.
Although the plaintiff is believed to be loyal to Bauchi state governor who is also the chairman PDP Governors Forum, Senator Abdulkadir Bala Mohammed, but a close associate of the governor who spoke to Blueprint on the telephone last night, said: “I don’t know him. I am not sure, but I don’t know him.”
In the suit filed before a Federal High Court, Gusau, Zamfara state, the plaintiff is praying the court to nullify all actions taken by the acting chairman, Mr. Umar Iliya Damagum.
Blueprint reports that Governor Mohammed, last week Tuesday, told journalists that the party’s crisis was over.
Damagum and the party’s national secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, had suspended the party’s national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba, and its national legal adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN).
And in a counter, the duo of Ologunagba and Ajibade announced the suspension of Damagum and Anyanwu, leading to a stalemate.
…Back to status quo
The PDP Governors’ Forum and other major stakeholders, however, waded in and restored the party to its status quo.
“All the suspensions you heard about have been resolved by the Governors, the NWC, the Caucus of the National Assembly, and the BoT. There is no faction; everything has reverted to the status quo under acting Chairman Damagum, pending the time the governors and other organs of the party will sit down and resolve all the issues.
“As a political party, the PDP was bound to have disputes among members but that those challenges could always be resolved.
“There is no crisis. The governors, BoT, and the National Assembly caucus have agreed that the NWC should revert to the status quo,” the governor had said.
On the legal disputes, Mohammed said the party wouldn’t want to preempt the outcome.
“We also urge that occupants of positions of responsibility should be mindful of their vow to serve and grow the Party from strength to strength, consolidating on the dreams of our founding fathers.
“There is no party that does not have problems. Some of them are legal, and we do not want to preempt the outcome of legal procedures,” he said.
…Fresh legal battle
In a fresh legal battle, however, Awal, a party chieftain, asked Justice Salim Ibrahim of the FHC Gusau, to grant an ex-parte order nullifying all actions taken by the Damagum leadership of the party.
In the motion filed Tuesday, the plaintiff also sought a special order for the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to hold and also discuss the possible removal of the acting chair.
He further prayed the court to determine whether the NEC was or not in contradiction of the party’s constitution by not appointing a substantive National Chairman from the North-Central zone following the removal of Dr Iyorchia Ayu, also from the zone, as the party’s chair.
The aggrieved party chieftain also asked the court to determine “WHETHER the actions of the acting National Chairman by frustrating all efforts to appoint a substantive National Chairman is not unlawful, unconstitutional and an abuse of office.
“And “WHETHER the suspension of the National Vice Chairman (South East Zone) of the 1st Defendant, pursuant to section 57 (3) of the Peoples Democratic Party Constitution, 2017 (As amended) has not terminated his membership of the party and all its organs, including the National Working Committee, National Executive Committee and the National Convention of the 1st Defendant?”
…Our job done as reconciliation committee – Oyinlola
And amidst the rising tension, the PDP reconciliation committee said it had successfully achieved some level of truce among the feuding National Working Committee (NWC) members.
Responding to a question after meeting with the NWC members in Abuja Tuesday, the committee chairman, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, said issues within the NWC had been resolved to the glory of God.
Among those at the meeting were the party’s acting chair, Mr. Damagum, the secretary, Senator Anyanwu, the national treasurer, Yayari Ahmed, the deputy national chairman (South), Taofeeq Arapaja, the national publicity secretary, Hon. Ologunagba, and a member of the reconciliation committee, Otunba Segun Showumi.
Speaking on the outcome, Oyinlola said: “The outcome of today’s meeting is that, to the glory of God, we have been able to resolve the differences that have been causing our party some headache within the National Working Committee.
“We thank God that we have been able to open up to ourselves and resolve to move on as a United National Working Committee, which is what we needed for the progress of our party, the People’s Democratic Party.
“The issues resolved are the differences that have been permitted to stay by the National Working Committee. I cannot itemise them for you.”
On the prospect of Thursday’s NEC meeting, the former Osun state governor said: “That wasn’t part of our discussion and I’m not in a position to talk about the NEC meeting.
“I’m the chairman of the National Reconciliation Committee. There were differences in the National Working Committee, and I have done that, and my job is finished.”