Former national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kola Ologbondiyan and former national legal adviser, Barr. Emmanuel Enoidem (SAN) have called on party leaders to salvage the party from the current leadership of acting national chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum.
They stated this against the backdrop of the party’s recent performance in the Edo and Ondo governorship elections in light of lingering crisis rocking the party.
The former PDP national spokesman, Ologbondiyan, while interfacing with the G12-Renaissance Group of the PDP in Abuja, yesterday, said Damagum will extinguish the life out of the PDP unless the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, scheduled for November 28 elects a substantive national chairman from the North Central as directed by Section 47 (6) of the party’s Constitution (2017 Amendment).
A statement from his media office on the interface with the PDP group, said the former spokesman also challenged Damagum to come clean on an alleged meeting he had with President Bola Tinubu in London.
Although Ologbondiyan didn’t give details of the meeting, he wondered why Damagum as head of the opposition party has not been able to provide a response to his alleged meeting with Tinubu.
Recalling the allegation against Damagum in the public space in which he was alleged to have met with President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in London, Ologbondiyan challenged the embattled acting national chairman to speak up.
“How can the head of the leading opposition party be accused of nicodemusly meeting with the President of the ruling government, and he would have no response to provide?”
Expressing concern at the party’s loss in Saturday’s Ondo State Governorship election, Ologbondiyan insisted that if a substantive national chairman is not restored for the party, successive off-season elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun may suffer the fate of Kogi, Imo and Ondo States.
“It is reprehensible that the Acting National Chairman is supervising the dishevelling of the party,” he added.
“Amb. Damagun has the least of interest in working for the suçcess of the party in any election,” he further noted.
Ologbondiyan urged the party leaders to rescue the PDP from the stranglehold of Amb. Damagum and his backers, if the party must be revitalised to perform optimally as an opposition political party.
On his part, Enoidem, said the current PDP national leadership especially the present NWC is not doing well.
He said every sincere and conscientious member of the party is aware that the party is passing through a phase akin to what happened under the watch of Ali Modu Sheriff.
He said “The party is obviously facing an existential threat of very dangerous dimensions.’
He tackled Damagum and Secretary of PDP Senator Samuel Anyanwu for “writing letters to the court/court of appeal to withdraw cases/appeals that seek to protect the interests of the party against the position taken by National Legal Adviser who is constitutionally authorised to defend the interests of the party, its organs and officers.
“It smacks of frontal and violent assaults on the clear provisions of the Constitution of the party.
“The National chairman and secretary of PDP or any member of the NWC of the party have no justification in failing to take all steps necessary to protect the Governor of Rivers State from the 27 roguish members of the Rivers State house of assembly loyal to Wike who openly defected to the APC.”
