Today’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the leading opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will put to rest whether or not the acting National Chairman of the party, Umar Damagum, will continue to lead its National Working Committee.
The PDP has of late been rocked with agitations from some of its members, who called for the resignation of the National Working Committee (NWC) over alleged failure to lead the party aright.
At a late-hour national caucus meeting yesterday, the presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike, attended the meeting in Abuja ahead of today’s NEC meeting.
This caucus meeting is one of a series of meetings by members of the PDP, ahead of the NEC meeting, where critical decisions regarding the leadership of the party and other issues that have threatened the party’s unity will be discussed.
Earlier yesterday, the suspended national chairman of the PDP, Senator Iyorcha Ayu, withdrew his appeal, which sought to challenge his removal as the party’s national chairman.
His move was also believed to be connected with the party’s NEC.
Ayu was suspended by the executive committee of the PDP in the Igyorov ward in Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State in 2023 over alleged anti-party activities.
In a notice of withdrawal of appeal tagged CA/MK/88/2024 SUIT NO: MHC/85/2023 dated April 15, made available to journalists, the Federal Court of Appeal in Makurdi, the Benue State capital said the erstwhile PDP chairman, Ayu had withdrawn the appeal against the respondents filed on June 27th, 2023 via a notice of appeal dated 26th June, 2023.
The suit, which had subsisted between Ayu (the appellant), Terhide Utaan, and the PDP as the respondent, read in part, “Take notice that the appellant herein intends and doth hereby wholly withdraw the appeal against the respondents filed on the 27th day of June 2023 vide Notice of Appeal dated the 26th day of June 2023.”
*Pro and anti-Damagun forces flex muscles
Meanwhile, pro and anti-Damagun forces have continued to flex muscles ahead of today’s NEC meeting.
Earlier yesterday, the party’s PDP NWC passed a vote of confidence on Damagum.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, in a statement in Abuja said the vote of confidence was passed at the NWC’s 584th meeting on Tuesday in the nation’s capital.
Ologunagba said the decision was based on Damagum’s efforts at repositioning the PDP as the main opposition party.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party had earlier been slated for today to either affirm Damagum as the chairman or appoint a replacement.
Damagum was appointed as the acting chairman following the suspension of the former chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, in 2023.
Also yesterday, protesters flooded the premises of the national headquarters of the PDP in Abuja, throwing their support for Damagun and Wike.
The protesters alleged that some people within the PDP are trying to cause disaffection among the leadership.
The protest occurred an hour before the meeting of the PDP Governors Forum.
*Anti-Damagun forces
Reacting to Ayu’s withdrawal of the suit, the G60 PDP lawmakers in the 10th National Assembly commended the move.
The lawmakers, who had earlier moved and maintained their stance on the sack of Damagum, lauded Ayu for withdrawing the case from court,
According to them, withdrawing the suit will allow Damagun to step down and pave the way for him to hand over to the North-Central.
According to the G60 PDP House of Representatives members led by Ikenga Ugochinyere (Ideato, Imo State), Ayu’s action has removed the last bottleneck and excuse being given by Damagun to hang on to power.
They also argued that the move has opened the expressway, without any excuse for Damagun to revert to his position as the deputy national chairman.
The lawmakers, who had been clamouring for the reform of the party, starting with the resignation of the acting chairman, stated that with the withdrawal, the PDP NEC would proceed with the election of the North-Central candidate as the national chairman, during their meeting tomorrow.
They also insisted that despite the plot of ‘rogues’ in the party allegedly working for the All Progressive Congress (APC), the stepping down of Damagum is irreversible.
*Five govs meet behind doors in Akwa Ibom Lodge
Ahead of the NEC meeting, governors elected on the platform of the PDP were in a closed-door meeting at the Akwa Ibom Governor’s lodge in Abuja.
Those sighted at the meeting include Similaye Fubara (Rivers), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), and Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), who is the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum.
The newly-appointed Deputy Governor of Edo State, Omobayo Godwins, also attended.
It was gathered that the other governors were being expected. They are Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Kefas Agbu (Taraba), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Caleb Muftwang (Plateau) and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara).
Although it was not clear what the agenda of the meeting was, a source said it was convened to ratify the governors’ position on the leadership of the party, ahead of today’s NEC.
It was learnt that one of the issues dealt with by the governors was the fate of the acting National Chairman, Damagun, who has been in office since 2023, following the exit of Ayu.
