PDP crisis deepens as Damagum-Led NWC involves security agencies

The internal crisis within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) worsened on Monday as the Amb. Umar Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC) enlisted the help of security agencies to address the party’s leadership dispute.

This was disclosed by Acting National Publicity Secretary Ibrahim Abdullahi during an interaction with journalists at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

The involvement of security agencies comes amid rising tensions between the Damagum-led NWC and the Yayari Mohammed faction, which has been laying claim to the party’s leadership.

Supporters of the Yayari faction have accused the Damagum-led committee of colluding with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to weaken the PDP and ease President Bola Tinubu’s path to re-election in 2027.

Abdullahi defended the decision to involve security forces, emphasizing that the move was necessary to maintain the rule of law and uphold the party’s constitution in light of the ongoing leadership tussle.

According to him, the actions of the renegade faction is in total disregard of a subsisting court order restraining the PDP Board of Trustees, BoT and National Executive Council, NEC, from removing Damagum from office as acting national chairman.

Abdullahi said: “In the face of this reckless violation of a subsisting court order, we are hereby left with no option but to deploy the services of security agencies in the enforcement of the Rule of Law.

“We call you here to further clarify the ongoing imbroglio in our great party, the PDP in the past three days and to state unequivocally that these acts of vituperation against our party’s corporate existence are not amusing but condemnable.

“This is, therefore, a clarion call to all concerned to see to it that the PDP is not destroyed due to avoidable conflicts.

To buttress this, America’s former president, John F. Kennedy, said ‘Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.’

“Consequently, to improve on our learning process of party leadership and administration, we must ensure that certain actions are not guided by ‘sentiments and personal interest’ but in compliance with the provisions of the party’s constitution and other extant guidelines that interprets all its intent and purposes.

“Before I proceed further, please recall that we interacted here on October 11, 2024, on my assumption of office as the acting National Publicity Secretary, alongside my colleague, Mr Okechukwu Osuoha, as the acting National Legal Adviser, respectively.

“As we did explain that day and in addition to the press statement released the previous day, the development is in line with the decision of the 593rd NWC meeting held on October 10, 2024, in this NWC Hall of our great party’s national secretariat.

“For emphasis, the NWC decision had arisen, following temporary suspension of the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba and the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN, to allow the 4-man NWC investigation committee set up under the chairmanship of Deputy National Chairman (South), Amb Taofeek Arapaja, to freely investigate the allegations of ‘abuse of office and insubordination’ levelled against the two.

“Other members of the committee are Deputy National Secretary, Mr Setonji Kosheodo, National Treasurer, Mr Yayari Ahmed, and National Auditor, Mr Daniel Okechukwu.

Is this the first of such incident? A resounding no.

“For the records, both NWC affected officers are senior lawyers who should know better on how to preserve sanctity of the organization and have equally participated in the suspension of some of their NWC colleagues in the past.

“So, why kill our great party due to collective decision of your colleagues against your actions, instead of availing yourselves of the investigation committee’s window to be exonerated or otherwise?

“For the avoidance of doubt, let me state at this juncture that the essence of this press briefing is not to delve into the reasons behind the suspension of the duo on whether it is right or wrong but to call for restraint in the interest of our great party, the PDP, which is the major opposition party in Nigeria and the hope of Nigerians for a better tomorrow, in view of the APC’s strangulating, inept and clueless government nationwide.

“It is expedient to clear certain notions and misinformation trending on this Issue. In the interest of our great party’s teeming members, supporters and the general public who may have been misinformed about the situation, please do help us to inform truthfully what the matter is!

“Let all concerned know that the deputy national publicity secretary (my humble self) now acting national publicity secretary and deputy national legal adviser and now acting national legal adviser assumed office, following the decision of the NWC; and it is in line with the PDP Constitution (2017 as Amended), following the ‘absence’ of our substantive officers. “It is made abundantly clear on Section 40(2) and 42(2).

It is, therefore, distasteful for a leader(s) who ought to inform the uninformed, but instead goes ahead to misinform on a national television and other media channels, that our assumption of office in acting capacity is unconstitutional and does not exist. Why? “Furthermore, we are constrained to express our utter disgust and disappointment in our colleagues’ resort to ‘motor park’ approach to a mere suspension aimed at providing them with the opportunity to clear themselves of certain allegations against them. “Although we have detailed knowledge of the drummers, the masquerades should have been guided in their dance steps to avert stripping themselves naked on the stage.” The Damagum-led NWC went on to commend the intervention of chairman of the BoT, Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum and other well-meaning leaders of the party on the need to seek amicable solution soonest.

In response, one of the spokespersons of the Yayari Mohammed-led NWC, who was National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, told Vanguard that the invitation extended to security agencies by “Damagum and Co”, has confirmed what committed members of the PDP had suspected all along. He said: “We have always known that Damagum and Co are doing the bidding of persons who neither wish the PDP nor Nigerians well. These are undertakers on an assignment to destroy our party.

“They are acting out the script written for them by enemies of opposition parties in Nigeria. The game plan is to keep our party in perpetual conflict if they cannot take complete control of its structure in order to make us weak and ineffective, ahead of the 2027 elections. “We have news for them, the PDP as Nigeria’s oldest political institution to date has survived the machinations of enemies of Nigeria throughout its lifetime, this one too shall pass.

“These are people who are acting outside of what the PDP Constitution (2007 as Amended) stipulates. Our constitution does not recognize any office as acting national publicity secretary. I held the position of national publicity secretary, for four years. “There is no office called contacting National Legal Adviser or any such thing. We cannot begin to invent non-existent offices out of desperation to gain undue influence.” Ironically, whiletheDamagumled NWC named Yayari Mohammed as member of a four-man panel, set up to probe the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba and the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, the same Mohammed is the man named as replacement for Damagum as national chairman.