The acting national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Amb Umar Illiya Damagum, and the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, have cautioned party leaders against allowing their ambitions to destroy the party.
They also blamed the crisis rocking the party on external forces, warning that such interference poses a threat to PDP’s unity and direction.
Damagum, however assured that the much anticipated PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) secluded for next month must hold as planned.
The two leaders spoke at a PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting at the party’s national secretariat which was characterised by a clash between Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Ude Okoye over the national secretary position.
The fiasco which led to deployment of Policemen, soldiers and Department of State Services (DSS) began shortly after loyalists of Anyanwu forcefully ejected Ude-Okoye from the hall of the BoT meeting.
But the BoT members insisted that the meeting will not continue until he is allowed to return to the meeting. After much deliberations, Ude-Okoye was granted entry into the hall for the meeting which lasted for over two hours.
The national secretary position has been contentious since Anyanwu left to contest the Imo governorship election which he lost. South East had nominated Ude-Okoye as Anyanwu’s replacement. The matter is before the Supreme Court.
However, in an effort to resolve the crisis over the position of the national secretary, the BoT, rising from its meeting yesterday, set up a committee led by Barr Kabiru Tanimu Turaki SAN to interface with the parties, study the situation and report to the Board for further action.
Meanwhile, while addressing the BoT meeting, Damagum said “I want to say this with the highest sense of responsibility, part of this crisis that you see today within the NWC, is propelled by our leaders who are supposed to unite us; it is very unfortunate and I would say it the way it is.
“I’ll be sitting down as the chairman only to see or hear about my members in PDP NWC being called by certain leaders to visit certain places, for secret meetings without my knowledge; each one of you, if you are the chairman, will find this difficult and I want to use this opportunity to caution us, caution our leaders.
“You may have ambition, but you don’t ride on a dead horse to reach your destination: if you create crisis simply to further you’re ambition, you may get what you want, but your dream will not be realized, because by that time, you have injured the horse you are going to ride to that destination,” Damagum said.
He said while state congresses have been held in about 29 states, there are concerns of a plot to cause mischief during the zonal party congresses.
“Even at that, I enjoin our leaders to also be mindful of doing anything that can mar these congresses; It’s very important to sound this note because whatever we do, it is the structure you are building to hold what you have at your hand,” he added.
Speaking further, Damagum acknowledged that some of them are complicit part of the party’s problems, adding that arrangements will be made towards convening the PDP NEC meeting in February.
“As the conscience of this party, some of us are also complicit; we should look inwards, search our conscience.
“This party is dear to all of us, it is the only thing we have, the hope of Nigerians today is on this party, so we should sheath our swords, and work towards uniting ourselves so that we’ll have a credible vehicle that can challenge what is bedeviling us.
“At the last meeting we had with the governor, we all agreed we’ll have an NEC meeting; I want to assure you that we’ll do everything possible to have this NEC meeting this February,” Damagum pledged.
On his part, Wabara expressed disappointment over the crises currently rocking the leadership of the National Working Committee (NWC), adding that it is disheartening that the issues have not been resolved.
“The failure to resolve these internal conflicts undermines the strength and credibility of our party; it is therefore imperative that the NWC rises above personal interests and places the survival and progress of our great party above all other considerations.
“In the light of these challenges, I must emphasize the urgent need for a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting; I again urge the NWC to honour its words and convene the NEC meeting as scheduled in February 2025.
“It is pertinent to stress that party members across the country are in earnest expectation that the NEC meeting will be held this February,” Wabara stated, adding that PDP remains the only hope for Nigerians.
On the national front, the BoT, in its communique, expressed concerns over the worsening economic and security situation, social dislocation and total sense of hopelessness in the country due to what it called the ill-conceived and ill-implemented policies of the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
“BoT decries the insensitivity of the APC administration towards Nigerians as evident in the unjustified multiple taxes and failure to stem the increase in the pump price of fuel, electricity tariffs and telecommunication charges with crippling effect on the productive sector and unbearable rise in cost of living in the country.
“The BoT insists that the APC administration lacks the required patriotism, competence as well as a proficient, transparent and innovative governance team to effectively manage the nation’s abundant human and natural resources to benefit our citizens
“The BoT demands that the APC administration immediately rescind all its anti-people policies and takes urgent steps to stimulate the productive sector, create jobs and revamp the ailing economy,” the communique stated.
PDP leaders at the BoT meeting on Thursday include former PDP Caretaker Chairman and Secretary of BoT, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, Hajia Inna Ciroma, Senator Ben Obi, Chairman of PDP Reconciliation Committee, Col Olagunsoye Oyinlola (rtd), former Niger state governor, Alhaji Babangida Aliyu.
