PDP Governors in Crisis Mode: Two Solutions on the Table After Damagum’s Suspension
Governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are urgently working to resolve a leadership crisis after the acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, was suspended along with National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu. This suspension came from a faction of the National Working Committee (NWC) over claims of disloyalty, escalating tensions within the party.
In response, Damagum’s supporters retaliated by suspending two key officials, National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade and National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba. As the situation worsens, PDP governors are considering ways to restore order.
Sources say the governors are looking at two main options. One is to dissolve the entire NWC and set up a caretaker committee to lead the party until 2025. The other option would return both factions to their previous status, allowing the selection of a new chairman at the upcoming National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on October 24, 2024.
Originally, the search for a new chairman was scheduled for April 2024 but was delayed due to unfinished congresses across states. Now that those are complete, the NEC meeting will address the leadership change.
Regarding a court order that prevents the PDP from removing Damagum until December 2025, sources are unsure if he will use this legal situation to disrupt peace talks. Damagum was briefing the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Bala Mohammed, about recent NWC developments when the suspension and court order were announced.
There is a general agreement among party factions to maintain the status quo while discussions continue. However, the crisis deepened when a senior officer instructed that the offices of Ajibade and Ologunagba be forcibly accessed and the locks changed, a move met with hesitation from other officials. They questioned why such drastic actions were needed, especially since the keys to former national chairman Iyorchia Ayu’s office remain unchanged.
