As the supremacy battle festers in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a former deputy national chairman, Chief Olabode George, on Sunday, said the continued stay in office of the acting national chairman, Ambassador Illiya Umar Damangum is a gross violation of the PDP Constitution.
Speaking to the Nigerian Tribune on the phone on the crisis rocking the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, George said the PDP Constitution only allows 90 days for the position of acting national chairman, during which a substantive chairman would step in.
The PDP National Working Committee (NWC), on March 28, 2023, announced Damagum as the acting national chairman, who was until his appointment, the national deputy chairman (North) of the party.
His choice followed a high court order restraining Senator Iyorchia Ayu from parading himself as PDP’s national chairman.
National publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba, who announced the choice, said the decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the NWC, and that the appointment was with immediate effect.
“After a careful consideration of the court order and in line with section 45 (2) of the constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017), the NWC resolved that the deputy national chairman (north), His Excellency, Ambassador Umar Ililya Damagum assumes the national chairmanship of our party in acting capacity,” he said.
Last week, the issue of Damagun remaining in office took a twist with the two camps involved in suspension and counter suspension.
The suspension saga has split the NWC, with Damagum, backed by the national secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and the other section consisting of the national publicity secretary, Ologungaba and the national legal adviser, Kamaldeen Adeyemi Ajibade (SAN). The Damagum leadership directed Ologunagba and Ajibade to step aside from office, claiming to have set up a committee to investigate what the camp described as “issues raised against the officers in compliance with the provisions of the Constitution of the party.” The other camp, through the national publicity secretary of PDP, countered the action, and instead, announced the suspension of Damagum and the national secretary, Anyanwu, over alleged anti-party activities.
But, George told the Nigerian tribune that Damangum should have been relieved of the position long ago if those forces involved in the current power struggle had allowed the relevant sections of PDP Constitution to prevail.
He said the controversy trailing the tenure of the acting national chairman was a continuation of the power struggle among the main political gladiators along with their cronies and sypathisers over the presidential ticket of the PDP for the 2023 general election.
He accused them of impunity by not allowing the letters of PDP Constitution to address the Damagum matter and other critical issues that are undermining the strength and capacity of the PDP as the main opposition in the present political dispensation.
He noted that within the 90 days allowed by the PDP Constitution, the acting national chairman ought to have reverted to his position as the deputy national chairman (North) with the North Central presenting a candidate to be approved by NEC as the new substantive chairman.
According to the former PDP deputy national chairman, some individuals who perceive themselves as being larger than life will not let go because of personal gains and interests.
Noting that the late Second Republic vice president, Dr Alex Ekwueme did not work against the interest of the PDP after losing the presidential ticket of the party to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999, George accused some party bigwigs of fighting a personal battle ahead of the 2027 presidency.
He recalled that the founding fathers of the former ruling party faithfully implemented the provisions of the PDP constitution by making sure that none of the six geopolitical zone in the country was marginalised in the distribution of elective party offices.
George said the court had no business over the raging controversy over the status of Damangun since the party has a seamless process of determining leadership succession and structure.
He said the PDP ought to put its house in order so that it can provide leadership, accusing the All Progressives Congress–led administration of lack of capacity and managerial ability to lead the country.
Meanwhile, the Adamawa State chapter of PDP has called for caution in handling it the crisis in the party if it hopes to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress ( APC) in 2027.
The chairman of the party in the state, Mr Aliyu Shehu said the issues may either make or break the party depending on how the way they are resolved.
‘We know there are interests, but we must all put the interest of the party and Nigeria. First, we cannot afford to fail.
“Politics is a game of number. If the party, particularly the National Working Committee (NWC) and the Board of Trustees consider the interest of the party. If Damagu is retained, so be it and if they think otherwise, so be it,” Shehu said.
Nigerian Tribune