As Stakeholders Go for the Soul of PDP…

Chuks Okocha chronicles the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party which peaked with the reported suspension of top national officials and the intervention of the governors elected on the platform of the main opposition party to resolve the issues at stake.

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was expected to happen, but not too soon. What transpired last Thursday has deepened the crisis as two factions have emerged with claims of suspending elected national officials of the main opposition party.

The genesis of the unfolding drama in the PDP can be traced to the contentious issue of who will control the party structure ahead of the 2027 general election. This has led to proxy wars between the supporters of the former governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former Vice President, Atiku Abubukar who was the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general poll.

The unfolding party crisis may also not be unconnected with the supposed presidential ambition of Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed and his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde. All of them are fighting to secure the party’s structures ahead of the 2027 presidential primaries

In fact, political observers believe the October 24, 2024 National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting would have been the battle ground to settle who controls the PDP structures, but the suspension and counter suspension that was witnessed last week have brought out the crack within the party too early.

The Umar Damagum-led faction first suspended the National Legal Adviser, Adeyemi Ajibade, and the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, and set up a committee to probe their disloyalty to the party.

The Ajibade faction swiftly countered by also suspending the acting national chairman, Damagum and the national secretary, Samuel Anyanwu.

In a statement issued last Friday, the party’s Acting National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Manga said. “Arising from its 593rd meeting on 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 Okechukwu Osuoha, have stepped-in in acting capacity.”

In a prompt reaction, the suspended National Publicity Secretary, Ologunagba, in a statement entitled, “Press Release on the Decision of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP on the Reported Anti-Party Activity by the Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Illiya Damagum and National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu said:

“The National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP has extensively considered the series of complaints raised against the Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Illiya Damagum and National Secretary, Senator 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 Ambassador Illiya Damagum and Senator Samuel Anyanwu as Acting National Chairman and National Secretary of the Party respectively and referred them to the National Disciplinary Committee for further action.

“In the meantime, the two officials are suspended from all meetings, activities and programs of the NWC pending the conclusion of investigation by the National Disciplinary Committee”.

Flowing from this, the Ajibade faction appointed Alhaji Yayari Ahmed Mohammed  as a replacement for the suspended acting National chairman, Ambassador Iliya Damagum.

Ologunagba, said in a statement that “Following the suspension of Ambassador Illiya Damagum as the Acting National Chairman of our great Party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the National Working Committee (NWC) has approved the appointment of Alhaji Yayari Ahmed Mohammed as the Acting National Chairman.

“The appointment which takes immediate effect is pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017).

“The NWC calls on all organs, leaders, critical stakeholder and members of our great party to remain focused at this critical time especially as the NWC commences arrangements towards the holding of the Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting already scheduled for Thursday, 24th October, 2024.”

But countering the suspension, the new acting national Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi Mango said they were not aware of the appointment as Damagum is still the acting national chairman.

He equally clarified that they were not induced to suspend the duo of Ajibade and Ologunagba.

The new acting spokesman said the duo’s suspension was based on disloyalty and insurbination, referring to the statement issued by by Ologunagba urging party members to participate in the recently concluded Rivers State Local Government poll.

On the reported appointment of Yayari as a replacement to Damagum, he asked “where did they meet to appoint him, where was the quorum for his appointment as acting national chairman?.

On the court order stopping the party’s NEC stopping the removal of Damagum, he said, “the court has spoken and any one against it should go to court”.

According to him: the removal of acting chairman is subject to sections 47(6) and 35 (3)of the PDP constitution.

The party’s acting national legal adviser, Ihechukwu Osuoha who talked about the constitutionality of suspending Damagum  Osuoha said the ground norms of the party constitution said Damagum has to be removed through due process, but he refused to disclose what is due process.

Notwithstanding his reported suspension, the National Secretary, Senator Anyanwu was seen in his Abuja office on Friday attending to official issues.

Earlier on Thursday, the NWC summoned an emergency meeting to suspend alleged erring members of the leadership.

The NWC members had held their emergency meeting after the Board of Trustees meeting to suspend the National Legal Adviser Adeyemi Ajibade, National Financial Secretary, Daniel Woyegikuro and National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, who was not in the country

At the meeting that took place at the NWC hall, when the matter came up for discussion, the national legal adviser walked out when the situation was getting rowdy and was seen making calls. Ajibade later walked into the meeting and carried his files and left.

The national financial secretary was also seen shouting at the top of his voice, saying, “it cannot happen, it will not happen.”

But the deputy national chairman, South, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, countered the National Financial Secretary, saying, “let’s see how three members can be more than 17 members. We have the numbers.”

Some members of the NWC were seen banging their table, shouting, “who the hell are you, you have no right to dictate to us, we have the majority”.

At this stage, with tempers high, Damagum called off the meeting and all of them were guided into their various vehicles by their security aides and the meeting ended without achieving the desired objective of suspending any one.

What happened at the meeting was seen as battle for the control of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party as the contest for control took a new dimension as the Damagum-led NWC was said to be under pressure to sanction some of its members perceived to be opposed to former Rivers state Governor and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike.

This was coming as the PDP NWC is believed to have been divided sharply along the line of those loyal to the FCT Minister and those believed to be rooting for the supremacy of the party’s Constitution.

THISDAY gathered that the Damagum-led NWC summoned an emergency meeting last Friday to suspend the said anti-Wike members for allegedly insisting on the adherence to party rules particularly on the issue of Rivers state PDP Congresses.

A source hinted that members of the NWC are being offered huge sums of money in foreign currency by a powerful politician from the South to ensure the suspension of the said members so as to ensure a complete take-over of the affairs of the party.

Stating that no particular offence has been identified against the said members aside from perceived opposition to the Wike Camp, the source expressed concern that such move by the NWC can trigger a serious crisis in the party.

It was gathered that the activities of the members listed for suspension had frustrated several moves by a particular camp to weaken the party and secure total control of its structure ahead of the 2027 general election.

The battle for the soul of the PDP shifted to the control of Rivers State structure with the Damagum and  Anyanwu, in August, 2024, writing the Appeal Court insisting that the PDP would remain on appeal over the embattled 27 members of the Rivers state House of Assembly contrary to the legal position of the party.

The tussle for control of Rivers state PDP took a national dimension after Wike stood his ground on the party’s structure in Rivers state and threatened to “put fire” in the state of any PDP governor that intervenes in the affairs of the party in Rivers state.

The offence of the National Legal Adviser was that he swore to an affidavit at a Rivers State High Court that the party was a party to the on going suit against members of the 27 House of Assembly. He quoted the PDP constitution to back his claim.

But the duo of the acting national chairman and national secretary countered that he had no power to do so.

On the National Publicity Secretary, his offence was his letter of October 4, 2024 that the party supported the controversial local government poll in the state. The Damagum-led NWC insisted that his actions were unilateral as the leadership of the party did not authorise such press release.

The latest development in the PDP has attracted the attention of the party’s Board of Trustees headed by former Senate President, Senator Adolphus Wabara, which has called for calm, urging all the camps to sheath their swords. Also, the governors elected on the platform of the party are scheduled to meet on Monday to discuss the crisis, and like the BoT, have called for calm pending their intervention.