Keeping Damagum in Office is Ploy to Weaken PDP Ahead 2027 Presidential Poll

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

A coalition of opposition lawmakers alleged that some governors elected on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), and state party chairmen were working to ensure that the embattled acting national chairman of PDP, Umar Damagum, stayed on till 2027 to weaken the party.
Spokesperson of the coalition, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, who addressed a press conference on Sunday in Akokwa, Imo State, stated that part of the plan was to keep Damagum in office and ensure PDP state chairmen endorsed President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

Ugochinyere said despite different challenges facing the country, PDP, which was meant to lead the opposition, had been hijacked by political charlatans and turned into an “errand platform for the ruling party”.
The lawmaker stated, “Today, I want to inform the whole Nigeria that they have perfected a plan to ensure that the NEC meeting to choose a chairman from North-central, where the position is originally supposed to come from, is not possible.

“They want Umar Damagum, an imposter of the highest order, to continue to parade as the national chairman and stay in office till 2027 so they can foist on us a weakling that will be presidential candidate.
“We have impostors among us, who have no honour and decency. They have decided to kill the political party. The ruling party will be laughing at them now that they want to sabotage their own party.
“First, they said there was Sallah holiday and they shifted it. Since last year they kept on shifting the NEC meeting. Till now no NEC meeting, they keep on giving different excuses.”
He alleged that the national leaders of PDP were frolicking with leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), adding that they are going to London to hold meetings with APC leadership.
Ugochinyere said, “You have a national chairman and secretary who in 24 hours are in Nyesom Wike’s bedroom, a minister in APC government. At a time when Nigeria is facing serious crisis, our opposition is now in the bed of the ruling party.”