..NWC faction suspends Acting Chairman, National Secretary.
..Court bars NEC from sacking Damagum before Dec 2025
..BoT intervenes; urges peace, return to status quo
..Party would emerge stronger from crisis – Bala Mohammed
The bad blood generated in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by its loss of the 2023 presidential election snowballed into an open confrontation yesterday between the two main factions battling for the soul of the party.
Supporters of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,the PDP presidential candidate in that election and those of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike launched into a battle of wits, with each side claiming to sack key party functionaries loyal to the other side.
The day broke with Atiku supporters announcing the suspension of the PDP acting National Chairman Umar Damagum and the National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, for alleged anti-party activities.
They proceeded to name Alhaji Yayari Mohammed as Damagum’s replacement.
Swift reactions came from the Wike faction which not only got a Federal High Court Abuja injunction restraining the party from removing Damagum,but also issued a counter statement suspending the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade and the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba for alleged disloyalty to the party.
Their offices at the PDP National Secretariat, Abuja were under lock and key all day yesterday.
Ologunagba signed the statement suspending Damagum and Anyanwu.
The PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) asked the gladiators to sheath their swords, de-escalate the tension and revert to the status quo to “preserve the unity and stability of our great party.”
The PDP Governors Forum said it was stepping into the matter and expressed optimism that the party would emerge stronger from the crisis.
Ologunagba in a statement early yesterday said Damagum and Anyanwu were suspended from all meetings, activities and programs of the NWC pending the conclusion of investigation by the National Disciplinary Committee.
His words: “The National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP has extensively considered the series of complaints raised against the Acting National Chairman, Amb. Illiya Damagum and National Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu particularly with regard to the letter addressed by them to the Court of Appeal in Appeal No:CA/PH/307/2024 against the Party’s position in the case involving the 27 former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who vacated their seats upon decamping from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The NWC condemned this anti-party activity of the Acting National Chairman and the National Secretary which is in gross violation of the provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017) and their Oath of Office.
“Consequently, the NWC, pursuant to Sections 57, 58 and 59 of the PDP Constitution, has suspended Amb. Illiya Damagum and Sen. Samuel Anyanwu as Acting National Chairman and National Secretary of the Party respectively and referred them to the National Disciplinary Committee for further action.”
A counter statement came from the Wike side a few hours later.
The PDP National secretariat’s Director of Publicity, Pastor Chinwe Nnorom who signed it said Ologunagba and Kamaldeen had been suspended.
She said: “The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) arising from its 593rd Meeting today, Thursday, October 10, 2024, has directed the National Publicity Secretary (NPS), Hon Debo Ologunagba and National Legal Adviser (NLA), Kamaldeen Adeyemi Ajibade, SAN, to step aside, respectively.
“As a result, the NWC constituted a committee to be chaired by the Deputy National Chairman (South) H.E. Amb. Taofeek Arapaja, to investigate the issues raised against the officers in compliance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Party.
“Following the NWC’s decision, it directed their respective deputies (DNPS and DNLA) to assume office in acting capacity with effect from Friday, October 11, 2014, pending the conclusion of investigation by the Committee: the officers are Ibrahim Abdullahi Manga, Esq, Acting National Publicity Secretary and Barr. Okechukwu Osuoha, Acting National Legal Adviser.”
Soon afterward, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim Manga issued a two-paragraph press statement announcing his assumption of office as Acting National Publicity Secretary in place of the ‘suspended ‘Ologunagba.
His words:“Arising from its 593rd meeting,10th October,2024,the National Working Committee has suspended the National Publicity Secretary and the National Legal Adviser of the Party,pending the determination of allegations of DISLOYALTY and INSUBORDINATION levelled against the duo
“In the meantime,the Deputies in the respective DIRECTORATES,Ibrahim Abdullahi and Barr Okechukwu Osuoha, have stepped-in in acting capacity.”
“Rivers issues at core of PDP NWC Split” says new PDP spokesman
Manga also addressed a press conference where he shed more light on the situation.
According to him Ologunagba and Ajibade exhibited insubordination and disloyalty in their support for Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s recent local government election.
He said that a meeting attended by 12 members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) recorded eight votes in support of a boycott of the local government election but the suspended duo went ahead to contradict the NWC position and thereby helped to confer legitimacy on the election.
He said the Arapaja committee would probe Ologunagba and Ajibade over the next two weeks.
He said Ologunagba would have to explain when the meeting to appoint a replacement for Damagum took place.
“Nobody can wake up from the wrong side of the bed to make announcements that mislead the public and we stated that the 593rd session of the NWC meeting formally decided on suspension of the duo; I wouldn’t know at what forum, in what city, with what number and who were the dignitaries that came up with that kind of narrative when what is wrong is wrong,” Manga said.
Court restrains PDP’s NEC, BoT from removing Acting National Chair Damagum
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court , Abuja, restrained the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) and the Board of Trustees (BoT) from removing Damagum as acting National chairman and also ordered that no person must be recognised as PDP chairman other than Damagum until the national convention of the party scheduled for December next year.
Justice Lifu held that under Articles 42, 47 and 67 of PDP constitution, it is only at the National Convention of the party that national officers can be elected.
The judge said PDP members are bound by the Constitution of the party and as such must always act in line with the provisions and obedience to the party’s law
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/ CS/579/2024 was filed by Senator Umar El-Gash Maina who claimed to be chairman of PDP in Yobe State.
Respondents in the suit are PDP and eight others.
The plaintiff alleged that some stakeholders of the party had been holding clandestine meetings to forcefully remove Damagum from office in gross violation of the party’s Constitution.
He said that a former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Dr Phillip Omeiza Salawu was being pushed forward as replacement for Damagun by the stakeholders.
Maina claimed that upon becoming aware of the plan, two separate letters complaining against the clandestine meetings were delivered to the national secretary of the party, Senator Samuel Anyanwu and that despite the acknowledgment of the two letters, the National Secretary and BoT members never deemed it fit to act on the letters and their claims.
In the suit instituted on his behalf by Joshua Musa, SAN, the plaintiff therefore prayed the court to invoke article 45, 47 and 67 of PDP Constitution to stop the move to replace Damagum as the Acting National Chairman.
The plaintiff specifically asked the court to declare that the national chairmanship of PDP is rotated between the north and south region and not through any other procedure not enshrined in the PDP’s Constitution.
In his ruling delivered by Zoom after perusing the PDP’s Constitution and exhibits, Justice Lifu agreed with the plaintiff that Damagum can only be replaced at the national convention of PDP or through an order of a court.
Justice Lifu also held that any attempt to truncate un-exhausted four years tenure of the northern region without the national convention of the party will amount to an affront to the Constitution of the PDP.
Earlier, the judge had dismissed the opposition of the defendants to the suit on the grounds that the plaintiff had no locus standi to bring out the case and that the court lacked jurisdiction.
Justice Lifu held that the plaintiff predicated his suit on the protection of PDP Constitution from violation, and the northern region from where he hails from being denied its four year tenure.
Justice Lifu said that the plaintiff having displayed his PDP membership card before the court and having raised the fundamental issue of protection PDP’s Constitution had sufficient interest and justiciable cause to institute the case.
The judge therefore declared that PDP NEC and BoT are bound by the party’s Constitution and that Damagum as national chairman can only be replaced through the national convention of the party.
He also held that Damagum, having been appointed from the northern region where the former national chairman Senator Iyorcha Ayu hailed from, is entitled to serve out the remaining tenure of the national chairman.
Revert to status quo, BoT tells warring factions
Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Adolphus Wabara,warned both sides to shun any act that could worsen the crisis in the party.
He called for a return to the status quo by the two sides and to de-escalate tensions for the sake of party unity.
He said: “In the light of the on-going internal crisis within the National Working Committee (NWC), the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wishes to address the situation and provide clarity on the party’s stance.
“The BoT calls on all sides of the NWC to sheath their swords and de-escalate the tension; the warring persons must, in the overall interest of the party, revert to the status quo to preserve the unity and stability of our great party.
“We understand that disagreements may arise, but as a party with a long-standing tradition of internal democracy, we must not let these challenges derail our collective vision; the Board of Trustees will meet with the members of the NWC to intervene, foster reconciliation, and ensure that normalcy is restored in the NWC of our Great Party.
“We call on all party faithful and supporters to remain calm during this period; the PDP has an effective conflict resolution mechanism, and we are confident that the current issues will be addressed and resolved in a manner that strengthens the party.”
PDP will come out of crisis strong, says Bauchi gov
Damagum, who was in Bauchi when his ‘suspension’ by the Atiku faction was announced, paid a courtesy call on Governor Bala Mohammed.
Mohammed who doubles as Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum said there were no factions in the party although he acknowledged that it has some problems.
He said the problems were not insurmountable and expressed optimism that it would come out of the crisis stronger.
Speaking at the end of his meeting with Damagum,the governor said: “I would say that we have met and discussed these situations extensively with the acting National Chairman and we have agreed to work together along with other party organs –the BOT, the members of the Governors’ Forum, the Caucus of the Senate and the House to resolve all these issues and that is the major takeaway of this visit.
“We will deepen stake holding, collaboration so that all these issues that are disparaging the members of the party would be resolved and nipped in the bud.
“We have decided that henceforth, we will not allow a gap and we will make sure that we resolve all these issues.
“We are not recognizing any faction, we are together as a body and definitely at the end of the day, we will resolve all issues.”
He said he was consulting with his fellow PDP governors on the next line of action.
“We have agreed, in the presence of other stakeholders, that we will do whatever it takes to restore the party’s glory so it can achieve victory in the 2027 elections,” Mohammed said.
On his part Damagum said “You can see the chairmen of the Northeast PDP with me. They come here also to support me to reiterate their commitment that the Northeast, where they come from is one, and also they believe in the leadership of the governor’s forum chairman.
“Today we came for a friendly visit to discuss many things.”
Only two months ago, the PDP set up a 25-member National Reconciliation Committee to resolve the crisis tearing the party apart.
The committee is headed by a former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.