The ongoing crisis within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a new twist, with PDP lawmakers in the National Assembly expressing concerns about a purported plan to postpone the election of a new national chairman until August during Thursday’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
According to the lawmakers, the alleged scheme aims to allow the acting national chairman, Umar Damagun, to prolong his tenure and to install All Progressives Congress (APC) members as executives of PDP state chapters.
Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the group’s spokesperson, conveyed to reporters on Thursday morning that the withdrawal of pending court cases by the suspended national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, had seemingly cleared the path for the election of a new PDP national chairman at the NEC meeting.
However, the lawmakers claimed to have received intelligence suggesting a plan to delay Damagun’s resignation until August 2024, purportedly to enable the appointment of APC members as PDP state executives in over 19 states. They also alleged a strategy to utilize Damagun, purportedly collaborating with certain governors, to facilitate the election of APC members in 2027, effectively infiltrating the party with APC affiliates.
The lawmakers criticized the involvement of a serving minister from the APC, Nyesom Wike, in the confidential national caucus meeting of the PDP, viewing it as evidence of collusion between the Damagun leadership and the APC to undermine the PDP.
In response to these alleged maneuvers, the lawmakers stressed their opposition to the last-minute proposal to delay Damagun’s resignation, emphasizing that such actions would violate the PDP constitution. They warned of dire consequences for the party if these plans were to proceed, including legal action to prevent what they perceive as an assault on the party’s integrity.
They called on NEC members, particularly governors, to demonstrate courage and uphold the party’s interests, urging them to reject any attempts to prolong Damagun’s tenure and to ensure the appointment of a new national chairman from the North-Central region, as stipulated by the party’s constitution.
Meanwhile, they reiterated their demand for Damagun to step down and for urgent measures to reform and revitalize the party, pledging to resist any attempts to undermine the PDP’s integrity and legacy.
