AS the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party persists, the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has charged the factional acting National Chairman of the party, Umar Damagum, to revert to the status quo.
A senior party member informed this newspaper that the PDP Governors Forum has called for an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss various concerns regarding the party’s future.
The source, who wished to remain anonymous due to not being authorised to comment, also revealed that PDP stakeholders were considering the establishment of a caretaker committee to guide the party toward a National Convention to elect a new National Working Committee.
Recall that, since becoming the acting National Chairman following Senator Iyorchia Ayu’s court removal, Damagum has faced increasing criticism from party leaders over the ongoing crisis in the PDP, resulting in calls for his resignation.
Damagum’s indecisiveness has contributed to the tense political situation in Rivers State between Governor Sim Fubara and his predecessor, Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
On Friday, in a surprising turn of events, Damagum’s faction of the NWC, through the party’s National Director of Publicity, Chinwe Nnorom, announced the suspension of National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba and National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN) for alleged insubordination and anti party.
Shortly after, a statement signed by Ologunagba indicated that the NWC had suspended Damagum and National Secretary Sen. Samuel Anyanwu for alleged disloyalty to the PDP, appointing National Treasurer Yayari Ahmed Mohammed as the acting National Chairman.
The source, who was in the meeting between the Bauchi Governor and Damagum’s faction of the NWC reported that the chairman of the PDP governors Forum urged for calm.
He stated, “Governor Bala Mohammed is worried about the situation. During his meeting with Damagum’s team on Friday, he welcomed them and called for calm. The governor urged them to restore the status quo to keep the NWC unified and allow the NEC to address the issues at its next meeting.
“To tackle these concerns, I understand that the governors have called an emergency meeting for Monday. Some stakeholders are discussing the possibility of appointing a new caretaker committee to manage the party’s affairs and organize an elective national convention in 2025 to usher in new NWC.
“These stakeholders believe that reconciliation efforts will not lead to the current NWC members collaborating for the party’s benefit. However, they are also cautious due to the ongoing litigation surrounding the Damagum and NWC situation. Therefore, the governors will convene to consider all these issues.”
Attempts to reach the Director General of the PDP Governors Forum, Dr. Emmanuel Agbo and the acting National Publicity Secretary of Damagum’s NWC, Ibrahim Abbdullahi for a response were unsuccessful. They did not answer our correspondent’s calls or reply to text messages.
In a related development, in anticipation of the PDP 99th National Executive Committee meeting on October 24th, party members are calling for significant actions to realign the PDP.
The former National Vice Chairman for the South-West of the Peoples Democratic Party, Eddy Olafeso, emphasized that the future of the PDP is a shared responsibility.