Former PDP Governor backs Damagum’s Suspension urges new National Chairman to unite Party

Former PDP Governor backs Damagum’s Suspension urges new National Chairman to unite Party

Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has expressed pessimism about the chances of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) returning to power anytime soon, citing internal divisions and leadership crises within the opposition party.

Fayose, speaking on Saturday, endorsed the suspension of the PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagum, by a faction of the party. He also congratulated the PDP National Vice Chairman (North Central), Mohammed Abdulrahman, on assuming office as the Acting National Chairman.

During a chat with journalists in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, the former governor called on Abdulrahman to focus on rebuilding the party’s structure, reconciling aggrieved members across states, and setting the stage for a national convention.

Describing the PDP’s current condition, Fayose lamented that the party had become “a hopeless situation” and “a shadow of itself.”

He said, “The party needs a leader who can reunite everybody at this time. So, I congratulate Abdulrahman, and I want to assure all party members that it is a new beginning. There is no hope of PDP coming back for now. Even the captains of our boat are jumping ship. They are moving from one bed to another. So, who is going to hold the party together?

“PDP has reasonably gone into extinction, unfortunately. The Damagum-led National Working Committee are undertakers — they have come to bury the party. It will interest you that they are leaving in less than one or two months, yet they are still suspending and counter-suspending members. But you never can tell; you may find a doctor in Abdulrahman who is willing to turn the tables around for the party. Right now, however, the party is in a coma.

“If somebody comes to the rescue and decides to save the party, as in the case of Abdulrahman, we will give him a chance. That’s why I said earlier that he should go and rescue this party. We are happy we have a new acting national chairman, Abdulrahman, who emerged yesterday (Saturday) as a result of the confidence reposed in him after the suspension of the former chairman.

“You will recall that this is the same way former PDP chairman Iyorchia Ayu’s crisis started. Damagum will go the way of Ayu, I can assure you. His last service to the party was before the suspension. Damagum is not going to return to that office as chairman.”

He added, “In the first place, he was not supposed to be the chairman. He only represented an interregnum but manipulated the process to become chairman and caused so much confusion everywhere. It shows that Damagum has been incompetent; he does not have what it takes to operate in that office.

“Therefore, we want to appeal to the new acting chairman, assuring him of the cooperation of all party members and urging him to reposition the party, make all necessary corrections at the state chapters, and prepare for the convention.

“After everybody must have obeyed the last court judgment that congresses must be held in all state chapters before the convention, I stand here to tell the whole world that Abdulrahman will be affirmed by the court so that there will be stability, because due process has been followed in suspending Damagum from that office.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) sank further into internal turmoil on Saturday as new rifts surfaced within its leadership. A faction of the party announced the suspension of National Chairman Umar Damagum along with five other members of the National Working Committee.

In a related development, PDP National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu named Mohammed Abdulrahman as the Acting National Chairman.

Anyanwu said, “Unfortunately, some people may say that the National Secretary, National Organising Secretary, who has the responsibility of monitoring everything, and the National Legal Adviser, who is responsible for all legal issues, were purportedly suspended.

“On this note, we decided to suspend the National Chairman of the party, Damagum, for incompetence, financial misconduct, and disregard for court judgment. He has been suspended for one month and should face the Disciplinary Committee.

“Secondly, we also suspended the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, for issuing statements without the party’s approval, and the Deputy National Vice Chairman (South), Taofeek Arapaja, has also been suspended.”

Earlier, under Damagum’s leadership, the National Working Committee (NWC) had suspended Senator Samuel Anyanwu, National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), and two other members.