Abba Hamisu Sani
Africa-Press – Nigeria. The People’s Democratic party’s (PDP) April 18th 2024 National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting has come and gone with Damagum still as the acting National Chairman of the Party. Prior to this meeting there was escalating tension within the ranks of the party as some stakeholders insisted on the return of the party leadership to North Central,the region of the suspended Party National Chairman Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, while the other camp that described as loyal to the Rivers State former governor and the serving Minister of Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike insist on retaining the acting National Chairman Damagum who is from the same zone with the party’s Presidential Candidate in 2023 Atiku Abubakar.
As the meeting agreed to maintain Damagum as the chairman ,the matter is now on pause until the National Working Committee meeting of the Party Schedule for August 15th this year (2024).
Many political spectators attributed Wike’s move to maintain Damagum as a strategy to have control over the party ahead of 2027.
Atiku’s refusal to choose Wike as running mate :The genesis of the saga.
Atiku and Wike were not on good terms since 2022 after the former Vice President emergence as the PDP Presidential Candidate and his refusal to choose Wike as his running mate .
This reason pushed Wike to support President Tinubu ,the then candidate of the ruling party against his party flag bearer.
Now the former Rivers governor is backing Damagum while Atiku is pushing for a replacement from the North Central.
This move is now on pause as all the party stakeholders are waiting for the August meeting.
It is a triumph for Wike and defeat for Atiku?
Senator Abba Moro is the Senator representing Benue South Senatorial District .He said the survival of Umar Damagum as the people’s Democratic Party acting National Chairman was not the matter of victory or defeat for any individual but a collective decision made by stakeholders to propel the party forward.
Moros remarks came amidst speculation that Damagum’s retention , despite calls for his resignation, signaled a triumph for Nyesom Wike ,former governor of Rivers State and Minister of Federal Capital Territory and a setback for PDP Presidential candidate in the 2023 election,Atiku A Abubakar.
Senator Abba Moro stressed that
attributing the entirety of the PDP’s actions to Atiku and Wike was unfair, as the party comprises numerous members with diverse perspectives and motivations. He underscored that the focus should remain on strengthening the PDP as a viable alternative for Nigerians amidst prevailing challenges.
“The constitution of our party is very clear on who is a member of the caucus of the party and I dare say, at this point, that as a former governor who is still a member of the party, Nyesom Wike is a member of the National Caucus of the party.
If actions had been taken immediately after the elections and people who are perceived to have acted contrary to the desires and yearnings of the PDP have been sanctioned, then we can say that having been expelled or suspended, you can’t be here, but as it is, none of such actions have been taken, so you can’t just ban people from attending meetings.
One of the fallouts of the last INEC meeting was the resuscitation of the Reconciliation and Disciplinary Committee, which is saddled with the responsibility of identifying the area of anti-party and dramatis personae involved in the activities and recommending appropriate punitive measures against those who have been found guilty to serve as a deterrent to future occurrence.
If actions had been taken immediately after the elections and people who are perceived to have acted contrary to the desires and yearnings of the PDP have been sanctioned, then we can say that having been expelled or suspended, you can’t be here, but as it is, none of such actions have been taken, so you can’t just ban people from attending meetings.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t been done, and so to that extent, as a voluntary organization, if the members involved insist they are still members of the party until actions are taken by the Reconciliation and Disciplinary Committee we want to assume that they are still members of the party,” Moro added.
Expectations on the PDP next meeting
On expectations from the next NEC meeting scheduled for August 15, as it concerns the position of the National Chairman of the party, the Senate Minority Leader said the party’s constitution had a well-spelt-out succession plan.
The constitution of our party has a well-spelt-out succession plan. Section 35 (3C) states that where a vacancy exists, someone from the zone of the immediate past occupier of the office shall be appointed by NEC to complete the tenure of the person who vacated the office.
“For the position of the National Chairman, we will look at the succession plan of the party, by the constitutional provisions, and produce a replacement for Senator Iyorchia Ayu from North Central now that he has heeded our plea and withdrawn his case from the court. We will go to the next meeting with open minds and invoke the relevant sections of the constitution to produce his replacement,” he stated.
Struggle ahead of 2027
Muhammad Surajo is a political analyst. He described the PDP crisis and the Atiku Wike move to dominate the party as a strategy to ensure their ambitions in 2027. The outcome of the last NEC meeting shows that Wike has won against Atiku as Damagum maintained the chairmanship of the party.
“Before the meeting stakeholders of the party expressed divergent interest in replacing the acting chairman Damagum with another person from the north central, the zone of the suspended chairman Iyorchia Ayu.
No two ways about it Wike defeated Atiku in this respect ,as the former Vice President failed to achieve his intention of removing Damagum” Surajo said.
The political analyst said the PDP crisis is making the party so weak as the main opposition that it should be putting pressure on the APC to do the right thing.
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