PDP Governors Explore Two Paths After Damagum’s Suspension as Acting Chairman
Governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are actively seeking solutions to the escalating leadership crisis within the party following the suspension of acting National Chairman Umar Damagum and National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu. This decision, made by a faction of the National Working Committee (NWC) over accusations of disloyalty, has intensified internal conflicts.
Tensions flared further when Damagum’s supporters retaliated by suspending National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade and National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba, alleging similar disloyalty. The resulting chaos has prompted the PDP governors to urgently consider strategies for restoring unity within the party.
Sources indicate that the governors are weighing several options to resolve the impasse. One proposal involves dissolving the entire NWC through the National Executive Committee (NEC) and establishing a caretaker committee to guide the party until 2025. Alternatively, discussions are underway to revert both factions to their previous status, facilitating the selection of Damagum’s successor at the upcoming NEC meeting scheduled for October 24, 2024.
An insider explained that the search for a new chairman was initially set for April 18, 2024, but was delayed due to incomplete congresses in various states. Now that these congresses have concluded, the NEC meeting is poised to address the leadership transition, with a new chair expected to serve until December 2025.
In response to a court order preventing the PDP from removing Damagum until December 2025, the source expressed uncertainty about whether he would leverage the legal ruling to disrupt reconciliation efforts. Notably, Damagum was in Bauchi to inform the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Bala Mohammed, about the NWC meeting outcomes when the suspension and court order were announced.
The source revealed that there was a consensus among the factions to maintain the current status pending further discussions among the governors. They emphasized that such conflicts are unnecessary as the party prepares for the NEC meeting.
However, the situation deteriorated further when a senior party officer reportedly directed that the offices of the suspended officials, Ajibade and Ologunagba, be forcibly accessed and the locks changed. This order had not been executed as other senior officers raised concerns, questioning the urgency behind such actions, especially given that the keys to the former national chairman Iyorchia Ayu’s office remained unchanged.
One officer voiced skepticism about the need to break into the offices of the suspended officials, citing the questionable nature of their suspensions.
