… Party’s N/Assembly Caucus Evasive
The Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagum has tightened his grip on the party’s leadership with chairmen of PDP state chapters endorsing his continued stay in office.
Reprieve came his way as the state chairmen stormed the party’s Abuja national secretariat on Wednesday declaring support for his leadership of the party till further notice.
The endorsement by the state chapters is coming ahead of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting tentatively slated for Thursday, November 28.
The acting chairman’s fate is expected to be determined at the proposed NEC meeting where those calling for his removal are expected to argue their case against his retention.
Damagum was the Deputy National Chairman (North) until his appointment as acting national chairman in March 2023, following the removal from office of the then substantive National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu.
Going by Section 45(2) of the PDP Constitution, Damagum ought to have remain in office briefly pending the election of a substantive national chairman.
Section 45 (2) says, “In the case of the National Chairman, he shall hand over to the Deputy National Chairman from his own region/part of the country who shall, without prejudice to Section 47(6) of this Constitution, act as the National Chairman pending the election of a replacement.”
Section 47 (6) says, “Where a vacancy occurs in any of the offices of the party, the Executive Committee at the appropriate level shall appoint another person from the area or zone where the officer originated from to serve out the tenure of the officer.”.
While Ayu hailed from Benue State in the North Central, Damagum is from Yobe State in the North East. The rule demands that he step aside for a substantive chairman from the North Central to take the office.
Damagum, who is a loyalist of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike has continued to frustrate moves by stakeholders from the North Central to produce a replacement.
But his stay in office has attracted fierce opposition, mainly from some PDP governors and potential chairmanship aspirants from the North Central zone.
But the state chairmen, rising from a meeting held at the PDP national secretariat, dismissed reports of opposition to Damagum’s leadership of the party.
Speaking with newsmen short after the meeting, the Chairman of the Forum of State Chairmen, Austin Nwachuwku said contrary to media reports, the party’s electoral fortunes were not diminishing.
Nwachuwku said, “We want to clear that erroneous impression that the fortunes of the party is diminishing each day. It is not. It is looking stronger into the new dispensation.
“What you may call crisis in the party is just cosmetic. They are doing their work, they are all intact. You can see all of them in the meeting. So I don’t see where the crisis you are talking about is coming from.
“It is social media hype. Is that where the problems in the party are being discussed? We are here today and we didn’t see anybody coming to accuse the NWC of anything or that this is the issue that we should look at.”
Nwachuwku absolved Damagum of blame for the party’s loss in off-cycle elections in Kogi, Imo, Edo and Ondo states.
According to him, rather than blame Damagum, Nigerians should blame the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) “for what they did to win the elections.”
However, the PDP National Assembly Caucus chose to be evasive about the fate of the acting chairman.
Rather, the Caucus assured stakeholders of its commitment to restructuring and regaining the party’s electoral strength.
Speaking after a separate meeting on Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro said the PDP was putting its house in order for future elections.
Moro, who is the leader of the Caucus, spoke about party’s string of electoral defeats in the recent off cycle governorship elections in some states, stressing that the PDP remains resilient despite the losses.
He said, “We discussed the affairs of the party, particularly as we approach a critical meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) to take vital decisions on the state of the PDP.
“We are intensifying efforts to ensure the party grows stronger and prepares for subsequent elections without distractions.”
The Caucus leader dismissed reports that Damagum’s continued stay in office has been detrimental to the party’s progress, as alleged by critics.
Moro said, “The PDP is not just about one individual. Damagum is the acting chairman, but PDP is about all its members. We are working round the clock to return the PDP to its winning ways.”
He also downplayed Wike’s overbearing influence on the party. According to him, the former Rivers Governor’s present position as FCT Minister “is part of the political dynamics to bipartisan endorsements seen in the United States”.
He warned that anyone working against the PDP today will have to contend with the resilience of party members.