Intrigues as PDP Govs, Atiku Battle for the Party’s Soul

•Former vice president fights back through BoT

•Atiku’s loyalists accuse Damagum of promoting Bauchi gov’s presidential ambition

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Details have emerged of the recent meeting of the governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Jos, the Plateau State capital, indicating that the state chief executives took steps to regain control of the party and whittle down the influence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, THISDAY has learnt.

This is just as Atiku has mobilised his allies in the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) to tackle the National Working Committee (NWC) and the governors over the postponement of the National Executive (NEC) council meeting of the party.

Meanwhile, a pro-Atiku Abubakar group known as the Save PDP Group has accused Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State of being one of the brains behind the decision of the governors to shift the NEC meeting to February 2025.

The Atiku’s loyalists also alleged that the Acting National Chairman of the party, Ambassador Iliya Damagum is working for the emergence of the Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed as the presidential candidate of the party in the 2027 general election.

Multiple sources privy to the deliberations at the Jos meeting of the PDP governors told THISDAY that the Governor of Adamawa State, Fintiri and the host Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State mobilised other governors of the party to ensure that the issue of holding a national convention to elect Dr. Iyorcha Ayu’s successor took the back seat at the meeting.

THISDAY gathered that before the meeting, Atiku had mobilised some PDP governors to ensure that the governors countered the position of the NWC that shifted the planned November 28, 2024, NEC meeting to February 2025.

However, attempts by some governors sympathetic to Atiku to condemn the postponement of the NEC were shut down at the governors’ meeting by anti-Atiku forces.

The disagreement among the governors manifested in the issuing of three communiques by the PDP Governors’ Forum at the end of the meeting.  The communiques were issued by the Director General of the PDP Governors Forum, Dr. Emmanuel Agbo.

The first communique announced that there would be a NEC meeting within the first week of February 2025.

It was later withdrawn and another communique that did not mention any date for the NEC meeting was issued.

The third communique merely mentioned that the governors called for an early NEC without stating the date.  A source at the PDP Governors’ Forum told THISDAY that all these showed how the call for a NEC meeting to replace the acting National Chairman, Damagum, has become unpopular.

THISDAY gathered that the governors’ opposition to the NEC meeting led to the recent emergency meeting of the BoT of the party.

The emergency BoT meeting, it was learnt, was attended mostly by Atiku’s political allies.

In his opening address, the Chairman of BoT, Senator Adolphus Wabara, kicked against the shifting of the NEC meeting by the NWC and the PDP governors.

 Damagum and the party’s National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu were absent at the emergency BoT meeting.

Atiku’s Loyalists Accuse Damagum of Promoting Bauchi Gov’s Presidential Ambition

Meanwhile, a pro-Atiku Abubakar group known as the Save PDP Group has accused Governor Fintiri of Adamawa State of being one of the brains behind the decision of the governors to shift the NEC meeting to February 2025.

The group also accused Damagum of campaigning for the Governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed to emerge as the presidential candidate of the party in the 2027 general election.

A statement signed by the spokesperson of the group, Alhaji Ismaila Barau Isa, and made available to the media yesterday, alleged that Mohammed who is the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, has joined his colleagues to ensure that Damagum continues in office till the end of 2025.

He said this revelation was part of the intrigues that played out at a recent meeting held by the PDP governors in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

According to the spokesman of the Save PDP Group, ”Even as Governor Fintiri was seen as the brain behind all that transpired in the Jos meeting where a decision to again shift the NEC meeting to February 2025 was reached.

”Governor Bala’s inability to rally the majority of his colleagues to save the dwindling fortune and soul of the PDP is a further indication that the party is heading for the abyss as long as Ambassador Ilya Damagun stays on as the acting chairman.”

The group added: “We want to unequivocally say that the deal is exposed; we are aware of the plan by the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Governor Mohammed to ensure that Ambassador Iliya Damagun, the acting National Chairman of our party remains in office at all cost until the end of 2025 when the National Convention will produce a New National Chairman from the South, which will pave the way for his presidential ambition.

“Mr. Bala has agreed to work with Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, Governor Caleb Mutfwang and others to ensure that the plan sails through. All of these efforts are to see that the party is weakened beyond reasonable levels towards 2027,” the group said.