- Mark, Suswam, Agbo emerge top contenders to replace Damagum
There seems to be no end in sight to the crisis rocking the People’s Democratic Party. The National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress in Abuja erupted in jubilation on Friday when the news of the factionalisation of the national leadership of the PDP broke with Yayari Ahmed Mohammed and IIIiya Umar Damagum, leading each of the two factions.
With each of the two leading opposition parties, the PDP and the Labour Party, parading two national chairmen, the ruling APC may already be coasting to victory in the yet-to-be held 2027 general election.
Before its national leadership was factionalised, internal discipline, party supremacy and internal cohesion had vanished from the PDP.
The PDP ran into troubled waters when it failed to address the genuine grievances arising from the emergence of its presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the 2023 general election, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Delta State governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, respectively.
After losing the presidential ticket to Atiku in a hotly contested presidential primary, the then Rivers State governor and now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, was alleged to have lobbied to become Atiku’s running mate.
“With the PDP failure to address these internal wrangling, it was not surprising that its national leadership, which had already been hijacked by the agents of the APC, was factionalised into two last Friday”
A former senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye, had claimed that, “He (Wike) called me 19 times in two hours when Atiku was going to mention his vice-presidential candidate, lobbying me with everything possible to influence Atiku to announce him as his running mate.”
However, Atiku settled for the then Delta State governor, Okowa, as his running mate.
Apparently aggrieved that he lost both the presidential and the vice-presidential tickets of the party, despite what he strongly believed was his enormous contributions to rebuild the party, Wike mobilised four other PDP governors under the umbrella of G-5 to work against the victory of the party in the 2023 presidential election.
According to insiders, the FCT minister had stood by the party when it was abandoned by Atiku; former Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki; former Governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aminu Tambuwal, and other PDP governors, who had defected to the APC ahead of the 2015 general election.
One of Wike’s loyalists said that after losing the two tickets, the former Rivers State governor, though still in the PDP, started building a new alliance with the APC leaders, a party he had once described as cancer at stage four.
Despite courting the leaders of the ruling party, Wike and his camp were never called to order as the PDP neither made deliberate efforts to address their grievances nor sanctioned them for anti-party activities.
Wike’s loyalists believe that he justifiably felt betrayed by the PDP leaders who had left the party to be destroyed in the hands of the agents of the ruling party when Senator Ali Modu Sheriff was piloting the affairs of the main opposition party.
According to one of Wike’s loyalists, he unilaterally deployed enormous resources to rescue the PDP from the grip of the agents of destructive forces but Atiku and others who under the umbrella of the nPDP, had left the party in “carcass,” returned and hijacked the presidential ticket when it was obviously the turn of the southern part of the country to produce the president.
According to the Wike’s loyalist, the FCT Minister was also displeased with Tambuwal, whom he allegedly supported his presidential ambition in 2018, only for the former Sokoto State governor to throw his weight behind Atiku against him in the party’s presidential primary in 2022.
Consequently, Wike and his G-5 governors worked against Atiku in the presidential election and facilitated Tinubu’s victory, claiming they were fighting for justice and the return of power to the southern part of the country.
Expectedly, Wike was compensated with the position of the FCT Minister where he has been working for the APC, while retaining his membership of the PDP.
But despite being PDP members, Wike and his loyalists worked against the victory of the party in the recent governorship election in Edo State.
Wike’s recent war of words with the PDP governors over the political crisis in Rivers State was also another consequence of the party’s failure to put its house in order.
With the PDP failure to address these internal wrangling, it was not surprising that its national leadership, which had already been hijacked by the agents of the APC, was factionalised into two last Friday.
Before the factionalisation of the party’s leadership, the running of the affairs of the party by Damagum had been characterised by intrigues, and shadow-boxing, which made it difficult for the top organs of the party to hold meetings as at when due.
The NWC members at last Thursday’s meeting were split sharply along the line of those loyal to the FCT minister and those purportedly rooting for the supremacy of the party’s Constitution.
“Yes, I am in the race to become the next national chairman because I believe that I can unite the party through honest leadership. I will ensure that impunity and all that the PDP is negatively known for will become a thing of the past”
However, the Wike-backed faction led by the party’s National Chairman, Damagum on Friday suspended the National Legal Adviser, Adeyemi Ajibade, and the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, and set up a committee to probe their alleged disloyalty to the party.
In a statement on Friday morning, the factional acting National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi Manga said the decision to suspend the duo was reached at the 593rd meeting of the NWC held on October 10, 2024.
Manga and Okechukwu Osuoha, were appointed as replacements for the duo.
But in a counter reaction, the factional National Publicity Secretary, Ologunagba, in a detailed statement, announced the suspension of Damagum and the National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, by the NWC due to what the statement described as the series of complaints raised against the duo.
With this latest development, it is obvious that external forces, which had hijacked the party, have destroyed it for the APC to coast to victory in the 2027 general election.
Though Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, later on Friday, gave a restraining order against the removal of Damagum until December 2025, two national leaders have emerged for the party, setting it on the path of imminent implosion.
As the crisis persists, the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has charged the factional acting National Chairman of the party, Umar Damagum, to revert to the status quo.
A senior party member said on Sunday that the PDP Governors Forum has called for an emergency meeting on Monday (today) to discuss various concerns regarding the party’s future.
The party man, who wished to remain anonymous, also revealed that PDP stakeholders were considering the establishment of a caretaker committee to guide the party toward a National Convention to elect a new National Working Committee.
Since becoming the acting National Chairman following Senator Iyorchia Ayu’s court removal, Damagum has faced increasing criticism from party leaders over the ongoing crisis in the PDP, resulting in calls for his resignation.
Damagum’s indecisiveness has contributed to the tense political situation in Rivers State between Governor Sim Fubara and his predecessor, Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
A source that was in the meeting between the Bauchi Governor and Damagum’s faction of the NWC reported that the chairman of the PDP governors Forum urged for calm within the major opposition party.
He stated, “Governor Bala Mohammed is worried about the situation.
During his meeting with Damagum’s team on Friday, he welcomed them and called for calm. The governor urged them to restore the status quo to keep the NWC unified and allow the NEC to address the issues at its next meeting.
“To tackle these concerns, I understand that the governors have called an emergency meeting for Monday. Some stakeholders are discussing the possibility of appointing a new caretaker committee to manage the party’s affairs and organize an elective national convention in 2025 to usher in a new NWC.
“These stakeholders believe that reconciliation efforts will not lead to the current NWC members collaborating for the party’s benefit.
However, they are also cautious due to the ongoing litigation surrounding the Damagum and NWC situation. Therefore, the governors will convene to consider all these issues.”
In a related development, in anticipation of the PDP 99th National Executive Committee meeting on October 24th, party members are calling for significant actions to realign the PDP.
The former National Vice Chairman for the South West of the party, Eddy Olafeso, emphasized that the future of the PDP is a shared responsibility.
Olafeso stressed the importance of the NEC fostering unity among party members.
He stated, “The future of this party is a collective responsibility that requires the commitment of all members. I expect the NEC to play a crucial role in uniting everyone and fostering collaboration. By working together, we can create a stronger foundation for the PDP.
“It is essential for the NEC to continue building a formidable party that is well-prepared for future challenges. Through collective efforts, we can ensure the PDP remains a powerful force in politics.”
The PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, expressed his hope that NEC members will engage in a moment of truth during the upcoming meeting.
He shared his optimism that the leadership and discipline challenges facing the PDP will be resolved on October 24.
Osadolor stated, “Well, from the NEC, I expect a more united response to some of the issues. I also expect that some hard truths will be told in the meeting, and the leaders of the party will ensure that the PDP comes out better and stronger after we resolve all internal issues that are causing concern.
“I also believe that the issues of leadership and discipline will be addressed by this NEC, as the committee tasked with some of these responsibilities will provide a report that will enable the NEC to take decisive actions.
“Once all these are accomplished, I believe that lasting peace will emerge from this frank and robust discussion.”
Mark, Suswam, Agbo emerge top contenders to replace Damagum
However, it has been learnt that following the factionalistion of the PDP, the governors elected on the party’s platform will meet on Monday (today) to consider many options for the resolution of the crisis in the main opposition party.
This is just as the former Senate President, Senator David Mark; former Governor of Benue State, Senator Gabriel Suswam, and the Director General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Emmanuel Agbo, have emerged the top contenders in the race for the position of the national chairman of the party.
Before the gale of suspensions on Friday, PDP had scheduled a NEC meeting for October 24 to elect a substantive national chairman who will complete the tenure of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, while Damagum is expected to revert to his position as National Vice Chairman (North).
To resolve the crisis, it was gathered from a source close to the governors that one of the options before the governors is to facilitate the sack of the entire members of the NWC by the NEC and the appointment of a caretaker committee that will run the affairs of the party until December 2025 when the tenure of the present NWC will expire.
According to the source, another option is to ask the two factions to return to the status quo and allow Damagum’s successor to emerge at the NEC meeting on October 24, 2024, as originally planned before the factionalisation.
“Ayu’s replacement was supposed to have emerged on the April 18, 2024 NEC meeting but the decision was suspended because many states had not concluded their congresses. When the NEC meeting was rescheduled, it coincided with the period of lesser Hajj and was postponed. Now that all the states have concluded their congresses, a new NEC meeting was scheduled for October 24 to choose Ayu’s successor, whose tenure will expire in December 2025, along with other members of the NWC,” the source explained.
Reacting to the court order restraining the PDP from removing Damagum until December 2025, the source said he was not sure Damagum would use the court case to scuttle the peace efforts.
“Damagum was in Bauchi State to brief the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Bala Mohammed on the outcome of the NWC meeting when his suspension was announced and when the court order barring the PDP from removing him was issued. I am not sure he initiated it. It is expected that he won’t use the court order to scuttle the peace efforts,” the source added.
The source further disclosed that one of the outcomes of Damagum’s visit to Bauchi was that the warring parties should maintain the status quo, pending the meeting of the PDP governors on Monday (today).
According to him, Damagum and his NWC were also told that such a crisis was not needed as the party was preparing for the NEC meeting.
Meanwhile, despite these crises, the party’s critical stakeholders have intensified a search for a suitable candidate from the North-central zone as substantive national chairman in their NEC meeting on October 24.
According to the investigation, the names of former Senate President, Senator Mark; former Governor of Benue State, Senator Suswam; Director General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Agbo, and Conrad Utaan, stand out as possible candidates from Benue State.
It was gathered that Mark’s aspiration is being promoted with the backing of some retired generals.
However, it is not known whether he has agreed to stand for the election at the October 24 NEC meeting of the party.
Next among those enjoying considerable acceptance is Suswam.
Suswam said at the weekend that his aspiration was not a do-or-die affair.
“Yes, I am in the race to become the next national chairman because I believe that I can unite the party through honest leadership. I will ensure that impunity and all that the PDP is negatively known for will become a thing of the past,” Suswam said.
On his part, Utaan also enjoys considerable support because of his age and youthful exposure to issues.
Last week, the newly elected local government chairmen of the PDP in Benue State endorsed him for the national chairmanship of the party.
Similarly, Agbo, a former deputy national secretary of the PDP and one-time chairman of the party in Benue State, also enjoys enormous support.
He was popular among the state chairmen of the party as the then chairman of the state chairmen.
He is currently the Director General of the PDP Governors’ Forum.
Agbo is said to be enjoying the support of some governors.
