Don’t Demarket PDP, Damagum Warns Members

Acting national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Amb Umar Illiya Damagum, has cautioned party members to stop demarketing the party.

Damagum said this during the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting of the opposition party yesterday at the national secretariat.

The meeting, which had Senator Samuel Anyanwu in attendance, was the first since the National Executive Committee (NEC) recognised him as national secretary.
It was also the first meeting after some prominent PDP leaders urged other party members to join the opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

However, speaking at the meeting, Damagum said the PDP remains united despite all the challenges it has faced.

Damagum, who said the party was preparing for the next NEC meeting, said “I want to re-emphasise that if you are a member of the People’s Democratic Party, we are drawing a line for those that go to demarket the party. We will watch them and take appropriate actions at the right time.

“If you believe in this party, you should be an ambassador that protects the fortunes that this party has given to the citizens of this country when it was there,” he said

The chairman also lambasted the ruling APC harassing buying PDP members, adding however that the 2027 election is between Nigerians and APC.

“So, it is better to start now and correct your ways. Hunger, insecurity, arbitrary extortion of Nigerians is more than overwhelming.

So, we are in a democratic setting. We should hear the yearning of people.
“Like I said earlier, we are not conquered. We are law-abiding citizens. We deserve to be heard. For democracy to thrive people must speak their minds. People should be listened to and policies should be people-oriented. It’s not for the few,” he said.

Meanwhile the party said it will start selling 2025 bye elections nomination forms from Thursday.
The list of elections according to the PDP are Adamawa State – (Ganye State Constituency); ⁠Anambra State – (Anambra South Senatorial District and Onitsha North State Constituency); Edo State – (Edo Central Senatorial District and Ovia North East/South West Federal Constituency); ⁠Jigawa State- (Batura/Garki Federal Constituency); ⁠Kaduna State- (Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency and Zaria/ Kawasaki and Basawa State Constituency); ⁠Kano State- (Shanono/Bagwai State Constituency); ⁠Kogi State- (Okura II State Constituency); ⁠Niger State- (Munya State Constituency).

Others are ⁠Ogun State – (Ikenne/Shagamu/Remo/North Federal Constituency); ⁠Oyo State- (Ibadan North Federal Constituency); ⁠Taraba State- (Karim Lamido 1 State Constituency); ⁠Zamfara State- (Kaura Namoda South State Constituency).