By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
The Senate Minority Caucus through its Leader, Abba Moro, has rejected the call for the resignation of the acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ambassador Umar Damagum, describing it as ill-timed and inappropriate.
This was contained in a statement yesterday in Abuja.
He was reacting to the call for Damagum’s resignation by the member representing Ideato Federal Constituency in Imo State, Ikenga Ugochinyere.
The House of Representatives member had accused the National Chairman of allegedly working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ugochinyere had also accused Damagum of not calling a National Executive Council (NEC) since he replaced Senator Iyorchia Ayu as the PDP National Chairman.
Moro said the call for Damagun’s resignation was a personal opinion of Ugochinyere as it does not reflect the opinion of PDP federal lawmakers, especially PDP senators.
*Urges aggrieved members to take complaints to Thursday’s NEC meeting
He said the call, coming a few days to the long-awaited and most anticipated NEC meeting of the party, was a needless ruffling of feathers.
On the scheduled NEC meeting, Moro said it would afford members of the NEC to ventilate their opinions on the goings on in the party.
He said they were looking forward to a very robust discussion on the issues concerning the party and Nigeria in the meeting.
He said the vacant national chairmanship seat was a very crucial issue.
He said there was no basis for anyone to suggest that the seat be thrown open or zoned to any other region apart from North Central.
He said the PDP had a constitution, the grund norm of its existence, which provides for two deputy Chairmen.
He said, “Where there is a vacancy, the deputy chairman of the zone where the embattled National Chairman comes from will act.
“I won’t subscribe to any call for the seat to be thrown open or zoned to any region aside from North Central. If the party must regain its lost glory and remain formidable as the biggest political party in Africa, then NEC members must go into the next meeting with some level of circumspection so that the baby is not thrown away with the bath water.”
Commenting on the APC government, Moro said the strange bedfellows that seized power in 2015 seem not to know what to do with power.
He said everything had gone haywire in the country.
According to him, everything about governance in the country at the moment is wrong.
On disciplinary measures against erring members of the party, Moro said NEC would not sit in Abuja and compile names of members who acted in ways and manners that undermined the party in the last elections.
“Relevant organs of the party have relevant responsibilities to discharge to the party. NEC cannot sit in Abuja and write names of party member A or B that acted to undermine the party in the last elections, that’s the duty of the various ward EXCOs,” he said.
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*Chairmanship aspirant pledges to abide by the party’s decision
Meanwhile, an aspirant for the position of the national chairmanship of the PDP, David Ombugadu, has pledged to abide by the decision of the National Working Committee and Board of Trustees on the issue.
The former member of the National Assembly who represented Akwanga/Nasarawa Eggon/ Wamba Federal Constituency from 2011 to 2019, stated this in a statement he made available to journalists in Abuja yesterday.
He acknowledged that various groups of well-meaning members of the party have intensified a clarion call, for him to be given a responsibility by the party at the national level.
He said, “I feel humbled that much of these calls emphasise our antecedents, especially with keen references to our creativity, stamina, innovation, the populist enthusiasm that was aroused as well as the dividends of democracy that our mandate yielded all over Nasarawa state.
“The worthy attestations from the good people of Akwanga/Nasarawa Eggon/ Wamba Federal Constituency whom I represented between 2011 and 2019 and the very positive impacts of our keen pursuit of the gubernatorial ticket of Nasarawa State in 2019 and 2023 remain very relevant.
“All of us, and even our political foes know that the PDP is an organic, organised, and structured political party that believes in the principle of federal character, justice, equity, and fairness in Nigeria. These calls are in line with the people-focused constitution of our great party, and I believe strongly that it is borne out of patriotism and love for democracy.
“Because I have a lot to offer and have always responded to clarion calls by our people to serve in different capacities, As things stand, I want to thank our leaders and party loyalists who endorsed the various calls and would urge them to keep hope alive because surely, a better future awaits our party’s current challenges.
“I am firmly convinced that with our unity of purpose, God Almighty will grant us good direction and eventual triumph. I want to once again salute the contributions of the BOT, NWC, NEC, state governors and state chapters, LGA and ward level members as well as all executive members of the PDP across the nation, especially the Nasarawa state PDP for consistently standing with us with such remarkable focus towards achieving victory.”
