- Suswam, Agbo, plot to unseat Damagum
- Atiku’s camp backs Suswam, Wike’s faction pushes for Damagum’s confirmation
- I’ll reconcile PDP if elected national chairman – Suswam
Ahead of the 98th National Executive Committee meeting of the People’s Democratic Party, the animosity between the 2023 presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesome Wike, has intensified.
One of the major issues at the centre stage at the NEC meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 18, is the question of whether the party’s acting national chairman, Umar Damagum, should remain in office or be replaced.
There have been calls for the removal of Damagum and the election of a substantive chairman.
Damagum, formerly PDP National Deputy Chairman (North), became the party’s acting national chairman following the suspension of the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, by the court in March 2023.
The court action leading to Ayu’s suspension was filed by a PDP member, Terhide Utaan, who based his request on an earlier vote of no confidence passed in Ayu by the executives of his ward, Igyorov ward, Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State.
Last week, 60 members of the House of Representatives demanded Damagum’s exit, adding that a substantive chairman should be picked from the North Central region.
However, the minority caucus of the House of Representatives disowned the group of lawmakers calling for the removal of Damagum.
The caucus said the Ikenga Ugochinyere-led group was unknown to parliament and does not represent the views of the caucus in the House.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers), Deputy Minority Leader, Ali Madaki (NNPP, Kano), Minority Whip, Ali Isah and George Ozodinobi, (LP, Anambra).
Investigations revealed that a former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, and a former Deputy National Secretary of the PDP, Emmanuel Agbo, are pushing for the position of the PDP national chairman.
It was gathered that while Atiku’s camp is backing Suswam, the Wike’s camp, supported by some PDP governors, is pushing for Damagum to be confirmed as the substantive chairman to complete Ayu’s tenure.
A dependable source, who is a member of the PDP North Central Caucus, confirmed that Wike and his group want Damagum to continue.
According to the source, who craved anonymity because he had no official authority to speak on the matter, the Wike group also wants the North Central to produce the National Deputy Chairman.
Atiku and Wike fell apart in the build-up to the 2023 general elections after Atiku beat Wike to the PDP presidential ticket and also did not pick him as a running mate for the election.
Rather than pick Wike as running mate, Atiku picked ex-Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa.
The situation made Wike support the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, who eventually won the election and was sworn in as President.
Consequently, Atiku and Wike’s camps have been to work at cross-purposes.
Speaking on the power play ahead of the Thursday NEC meeting, the party chieftain from the North Central said, “We are aware that our zone is receiving the necessary support from Atiku. Many stakeholders from within and outside the zone, including Atiku, are backing Suswam. Consultations are ongoing, and the North Central will ensure that it nominates Ayu’s replacement.
“Wike and some PDP governors want Damagum to be confirmed as the PDP substantive chairman. They are supporting someone from the North East to complete the tenure of a position zoned to the North Central for their selfish reasons. They want the North Central to nominate a name for National Deputy Chairman (North) to replace Damagum once he is confirmed. They simply want to undermine this party.”
Another source, a highly placed member of the PDP National Working Committee, reiterated that the position of the PDP National Chairman is currently occupied and not vacant.
He said, “Since Ayu is in court, the position is not vacant. The PDP Constitution does not specify the duration or tenure for someone to assume the role of acting party leader. Therefore, Damagum will continue to serve in that capacity.”
I’ll reconcile PDP if elected national chairman – Suswam
In the same vein, a former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, has pledged to reconcile the PDP if he emerges as the party’s national chairman.
In the words of the two-term governor, “My intention is to reconcile the party given the situation that we have found ourselves in now.”
Suswam revealed this at the weekend during an interactive session with senior journalists in Abuja.
He also said he has the capacity to turn the fortunes of the party around if given the opportunity to serve.
Intra-party crisis, especially the activities of the G-5 Governors left the PDP divided during the 2023 general elections, thus paving the way for APC and Labour Party in some states.
Suswam said since the removal of Ayu, the party had not lived up to expectations, stressing that it was time to resuscitate the party.
“Ayu, as you know, was unceremoniously removed from office through a court case that was initiated from his home state, Benue. And by the constitution of our party, once the chairman or any other national officer is removed, his deputy will act pending when the zone that produced the incumbent officer produces his replacement.
“Ayu has been removed for about a year now and that happened because the party has not been able to put itself together.
“Issues that were outstanding have not been addressed; so every person seems to be doing whatever he or she likes. But after almost a year, there is this general feeling that the party is too despondent and there should be some resuscitation of the party and let us have a substantive chairman and that is why I declared my interest to replace Ayu.
“Since I declared my interest to replace Ayu, there have been a series of activities. NEC has been called, caucus meetings have been called, and Board of Trustees meetings have been called. And I believe that some major decisions would be taken including having a substantive chairman to replace the acting chairman who is the deputy national chairman North,” Suswam said.
Furthermore, he said based on the constitution of the party and precedence, it was the turn of someone from the North Central to replace Ayu.
“We at the party level believe that based on antecedents, the North Central should produce the replacement for Ayu. It is clearly stated in the party’s constitution in Article 47 sub 6.
“It clearly states that once a national officer of the party is unable to act for whatever reason, the zone that he comes from should produce his replacement to complete his tenure.
“I don’t see any reason why we would not do that because we are not devoid of people with capacity. The region has a lot of prominent people.
“For me, I am not insisting that it must be me but if it’s me, it would be better for the party; but the North Central should not be shortchanged.
“When Bamaga Tukur was removed, Adamu Mua’zu was brought in from the North East, after Mua’zu, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff came in. So, there is a precedent for that and I don’t see any reason why this should be an exception.
“When Solomon Lar’s first tenure expired, it was moved to Barnabas Gemade to complete the second tenure; of course, when Gemade was removed, Audu Ogbe completed the tenure of Gemade. There is a precedent for this and there is nothing unusual that we’re demanding from the North Central.”
