A coalition of lawmakers on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have declared war on Atiku Abubakar, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom and others in their group over plans to extend the tenure of the acting National Chairman of the party, Umar Damagum beyond today.
The lawmakers led by Imo State lawmaker from the House of Representatives, Ikenga Ugochinyere, said any move to extend Damagum’s stay would be met with fire as they are prepared to declare him a persona non grata.
Ugochinyere who briefed journalists on Thursday after the meeting of the National Caucus gave nod for Damagum to continue in office said the plot is to ensure that an apologist of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is installed at some point to “completely bury the PDP ahead of the 2027 elections.”
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The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party meets today to discuss ranging issues especially the post 2023 elections, anti-party activities and other issues said to be stalling the progress of the party.
The National caucus of the party had met on Wednesday for a pre-NEC meeting and there were hopes that Damagum would be asked to go.
The lawmakers who are drawn mostly from the House of Representatives had pitched their hope on the national caucus which had Wike, Ortom and others considered pro-APC in attendance.
Atiku Abubakar, the party’s 2023 presidential election, who Wike and his group of five governors refused to endorse but worked against was also in attendance.
But the caucus reportedly agreed to allow Damagum to stay on for some months as against the campaign of the PDP national assembly lawmakers.
The Lawmakers led by the Imo State lawmaker had, ahead of the national caucus meeting, called on Damagum to resign, a decision the lawmakers have said would be for the progress of the party.
The national caucus deferred in their resolution and instead endorsed Damagum ahead of today’s meeting of NEC and would pass the resolution for final approval.
This development, the lawmakers said, “is a plot to shift the election at today’s NEC meeting to August to allow Damagum retain his position and elect APC members as executives of state chapters.
Ugochinyere, speaking to journalists early Thursday morning noted that with the withdrawal of the suspended Chairman Iyorchia Ayu’s pending litigations, all impediments to emergence of new PDP chairman at today’s NEC meeting have been removed.
According to him, Ayu’s case was used as an excuse for Damagum to “attempt to elongate his illegal stay but to their shock, Ayu made a huge sacrifice by withdrawing his case thereby paving way for the emergence of the North Central person.”
He however said that they “received intelligence reports of the pre and post caucus meeting with an alleged plan to give Damagum a soft landing up to August 2024, and by so doing elect APC members as PDP State Executives in the over 19 states.”
He also alleged of the plan to use Damagun whom he said is allegedly working with G5 governors to elect “APC come 2027 to fill up those expiring excos like the failed attempt in Rivers with APC members whose names have been supplied by serving APC ministers.”
According to Ugochinyere, this means that “by the time a north Central person comes, all state Congress have been held for fresh four year tenure for over 19 states with APC officials planted into the heart of the party thereby burying the party and suffocating it and killing any survival attempt.”
He noted that the purported plan is against Article 47 (6) of PDP constitution, warning that if it happens an unimaginable crisis will hit the party and they will declare Damagum persona non grata on April 18.
The G60 lawmakers frowned and condemned the idea of allowing a serving APC minister, Nyesom Wike, into the highly confidential national caucus meeting, knowing full well the minister is a campaign manager for the APC 2027 Presidential election.
This they said is a “political abomination” and clear evidence that the Damagum leadership has officially merged PDP with APC and is desperate to hang on to the power to execute the demise of the party.
“We say No to the last minute plan to shift today’s expected Umar Damagun step down as acting chairman of PDP to August before North central can take the chairmanship of the party which is a last minute plan by the APC loyalist backing him to give them room to use the few months extension to use Damagun to inflict irreversible damage to PDP by filling the over 19 states with expiring state Executive with pro-APC members as officials.
“Article 47 (6) of PDP constitution states that once a vacancy occurs in any office of the party especially National Chairman Office, the NEC shall appoint another person from the area or zone where the officer originated to serve out the tenure of the officer.
“Article 47(1) says that the tenure of office of the chairmanship zoned to north central is 4 years, so any continued hold of the office continues to exclude the north central from completing its 4 year zoned tenure as backed up by 47(6) which says another person from north central must be appointed to continue that tenure.
“So Damagum’s continued stay in office is unknown to the party’s constitution.
“Article 35(3)(d) The powers of the deputy chairman to act is limited by this section as he is supposed to be in office to give effect to article 47(6) which requires him to act and call for the appointment of an acting Chairman.
“The PDP will enter into unimaginable crisis if these happens and will declare Damagum persona non grata if this illegality happens and we will not recognise such an usurper as acting chairman and we will be proceeding to the federal high court within 24hrs to launch legal action to stop these madness once and for all.
“Such abomination should not be allowed at the NEC meeting, and NEC members should have the balls to walk out any serving APC official in the party to avoid continued sabotage and compromise.
“Let NEC members be men for once. We call on NEC members, especially governors, to be bold for once and stand up to show our loyal members in the rural areas strength that we are ready to get up and be firm and set the road map for Revival.
“No sitting on the fence. Those Governors and NEC members sitting on the fence over fear or lack of courage should stand up and defend the party our founding fathers handed over to us to avoid the inevitable destruction awaiting us like NNPP if we don’t act.
“We call Restate our position that damagun must step down and revert to his deputy chairmanship position and North central person should be elected at Chairman, Disciplinary action committee must be set up to discipline members and loyalist of the apc that have made attempt to hijack and kill the party, the reform and rebranding of the party must start immediately, the caretaker list tampered must all be excluded from affirmation today especially Cross River, Kano, Rivers etc which was filled with apc members .
“So based on the above, we state once more NO to the move to shift Damagum’s resignation to August to avoid giving a few months’ chance that will be used to plant seeds of destruction and endless litigation once the step down date is shifted.
“Damagum must revert to his deputy chairmanship position and allow NEC to appoint a north central person as acting chairman.
“God save PDP the party from the desperate hands of PDP/APC members,” he said.