PDP Governors Meet over Party Crisis, Mark, Suswam Jostle for Chairmanship

*NEC may dissolve NWC, appoint caretaker committee

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Following the factionalistion of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the governors elected on the party’s platform will meet tomorrow to consider many options for the resolution of the crisis in the main opposition party, THISDAY has learnt.

This is just as the former Senate President, Senator David Mark; former Governor of Benue State, Senator Gabriel Suswam, and the Director General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Dr. Emmanuel Agbo, have emerged the top contenders in the race for the position of the national chairman of the party.

The crisis rocking the PDP took a dangerous twist on Friday when its national leadership broke into two factions with Yayari Ahmed Mohammed, and the acting National Chairman, IIIiya Umar Damagum, leading each of the two factions.

PDP’s factionalisation followed the suspension of its National Legal Adviser, Adeyemi Ajibade, and the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, by a faction of the National Working Committee (NWC) led by the acting national chairman, Damagum, on Friday, after the 593rd meeting of the NWC held on Thursday.

Ibrahim Abdullahi and Okechukwu Osuoha were appointed by the faction to replace the duo in acting capacities.

But in a counter statement, the National Publicity Secretary, Ologunagba announced the suspension of Damagum and the National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, by the NWC due to what the statement described as the series of complaints raised against the duo.

However, shortly after Damagum’s suspension was announced, news broke that Justice Peter Lifu of a Federal High Court in Abuja issued a restraining order against his removal by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) as the acting national chairman of the party until December 2025.

Before the gale of suspensions on Friday, PDP had scheduled a NEC meeting for October 24 to elect a substantive national chairman who will complete the tenure of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, while Damagum is expected to revert to his position as National Vice Chairman (North).
To resolve the crisis, THISDAY gathered from a source close to the governors that one of the options before the governors is to facilitate the sack of the entire members of the NWC by the NEC and the appointment of a caretaker committee that will run the affairs of the party until December 2025 when the tenure of the present NWC will expire.

According to the source, another option is to ask the two factions to return to the status quo and allow Damagum’s successor to emerge at the NEC meeting on October 24, 2024, as originally planned before the factionalisation.

“Ayu’s replacement was supposed to have emerged on the April 18, 2024 NEC meeting but the decision was suspended because many states had not concluded their congresses. When the NEC meeting was rescheduled, it coincided with the period of lesser Hajj and was postponed. Now that all the states have concluded their congresses, a new NEC meeting was scheduled for October 24 to choose Ayu’s successor, whose tenure will expire in December 2025, along with other members of the NWC,” the source explained.

Reacting to the court order restraining the PDP from removing Damagum until December 2025, the source said he was not sure Damagum would use the court case to scuttle the peace efforts.

“Damagum was in Bauchi State to brief the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Bala Mohammed on the outcome of the NWC meeting when his suspension was announced and when the court order barring the PDP from removing him was issued. I am not sure he initiated it. It is expected that he won’t use the court order to scuttle the peace efforts,” the source added.

The source further disclosed that one of the outcomes of Damagum’s visit to Bauchi was that the warring parties should maintain the status quo, pending the meeting of the PDP governors tomorrow.

According to him, Damagum and his NWC were also told that such a crisis was not needed as the party was preparing for the NEC meeting.

However, the crisis deepened yesterday as a top national officer of the party was said to have ordered that the offices of the National Legal Adviser, Ajibade, and the National Publicity Secretary, Ologunagba be broken into and the keys changed.

But the order was yet to be carried out as other top officers were not comfortable with it.

One of the national officers queried why the keys to the offices of the affected officers should be changed when “till this moment, the keys to the offices of the former national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu are still intact.”

The party officer said: “The two were suspended under questionable circumstances. Why the rush to break into their offices, as if they were expelled from the party?” he queried.

THISDAY also gathered that to stop the duo from accessing information about the party, another top officer has given the order they should be removed from the NWC WhatsApp forum.

Fresh facts also emerged that one of the allegations against Damagum was that he abused his office by donating money that exceeded his financial limits to the flood victims in Maiduguri, Borno State.

“The financial approval limits of the office of the acting national chairman was N10million, but when the acting national chairman went to Borno State to commiserate with the flood victims, he announced the donation of N35million without getting the necessary approval to do that by the NWC of the party,” one of the national officers told THISDAY.

Mark, Suswam, Agbo Jostle for Substantive National Chairmanship Seat

Meanwhile, despite these crises, the party’s critical stakeholders have intensified a search for a suitable candidate from the North-central zone as substantive national chairman in their NEC meeting on October 24.

According to the investigation, the names of former Senate President, Senator Mark; former Governor of Benue State, Senator Suswam; Director General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Agbo, and Mr. Conrad Utaan, stand out as possible candidates from Benue State.
 THISDAY gathered that Mark’s aspiration is being promoted with the backing of some retired generals.

 As of press time, it is not known whether he has agreed to stand for the election at the October 24 NEC meeting of the party.
Next among those enjoying considerable acceptance is Suswam.

Suswam told THISDAY at the weekend that his aspiration was not a do-or-die affair.

According to Suswam, “Yes, I am in the race to become the next national chairman because I believe that I can unite the party through honest leadership. I will ensure that impunity and all that the PDP is negatively known for will become a thing of the past,” Suswam said.
On his part, Utaan also enjoys considerable support because of his age and youthful exposition to issues.

Last week, the newly elected local government chairmen of the PDP in Benue State endorsed him for the national chairmanship of the party.

Similarly, Agbo, a former deputy national secretary of the PDP and one-time chairman of the party in Benue State, also enjoys enormous support.

He was popular among the state chairmen of the party as the then chairman of the state chairmen.

He is currently the Director General of the PDP Governors’ Forum.

Agbo is said to be enjoying the support of some governors.