•The ongoing NEC meeting of PDP
The Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party has queried the continued stay in office of the party’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu.
Recently, many party members have raised concerns about the ongoing tenure of Damagum and Anywanwu in their respective positions, reports The PUNCH.
Previously serving as the PDP National Deputy Chairman (North), Damagum assumed the role of acting National Chairman following the court’s suspension of the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, in March of the preceding year.
With the National Secretary being selected as the PDP candidate for the Imo State 2023 governorship election, the South zone has been grappling with nominating a replacement. Despite this, he, along with other party leaders, contested and retained the position of party secretary after losing to Governor Hope Uzodinnma.
It is worth noting that yesterday and early this morning, the PDP’s National Working Committee and National Caucus both voiced full support for Damagum’s leadership of the NWC.
In his response during the forum meeting at the party Headquarters in Abuja today, the PDP BoT Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, said the matter before the party weighs heavily on their collective conscience.
He said the assembly offers them a priceless chance to contemplate the condition of the party, the obstacles confronting them, and the essential measures required to advance us toward progress and harmony.
He said “Nigerians are currently passing through a perilous time and their earnest expectation is for us as a Party to put our house in order and effectively lead the charge to rescue our nation from the stranglehold of the All Progressives Congress.
“I must address a matter that weighs heavily on our collective conscience, the leadership of the party as it stands.
Recalling the events that led to the ousting of the former Chairman of the party in person of H.E. Senator Iyorchia Ayu, the current acting Chairman has spent over a year in office whereas as the usual practice of the party, the region from whence the national officer hails from should have produced a viable candidate to complete the tenure of the former national officer.
“Furthermore, the contentious issue surrounding the office of the National Secretary has regrettably sown seeds of discord within our party. The ambiguity surrounding this position has led to confusion and internal strife, hindering our collective efforts to pursue our noble objectives.”
The ex-Senate President pointed out that the remedies for these two issues are embedded in our party’s constitution, but intentional legal disputes have rendered the implementation of these constitutional remedies unattainable.
He continued “It is incumbent upon us to resolve this matter with utmost urgency, guided by transparency, fairness, and the best interests of our party and its members.
“As we stand on the cusp of a new era, marked by the impending expiration of the Ward and LGA executive structures of our party across several states, we are presented with a pivotal opportunity to reinvigorate and reposition our party for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”
In his earlier comments, the acting National Chairman of the PDP reassured that consultations are currently underway to reposition the party.
“We have been active and diligent despite the challenges that have arisen in various forms. We have two elections approaching in Edo and Ondo. We are optimistic that following the upcoming primary in Ondo, the future of that election looks promising for us. We have performed admirably to the extent that we can confidently say that in that election, with our collective efforts, we will emerge victorious, he added.
