Damagun, Wabara blast PDP leaders, NWC over party crisis

•PDP acting national chairman, Amb. Umar Damagun

Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Amb. Umar Damagun and the Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Sen. Adolphus Wabara, yesterday, berated leaders of the party and mem­bers of the National Working Committee (NWC) for the crisis in the party.

While Damagun said that part of the crisis within the NWC is propelled by the party leaders that are supposed to unite mem­bers, Wabara urged the NWC to rise above personal interests and places the survival and progress of PDP above all other consider­ations, reports Daily Independent.

The BoT, in its 79th meeting held yesterday, set up a com­mittee led by Barr Kabiru Tani­mu Turaki to interface with the aggrieved members of the party to find a lasting solution to issues in PDP and report to the Board for further action. And also insisted that National Executive Commit­tee (NEC) must hold in February.

However, it was at the meeting of the BoT that crisis erupted, where claimant to PDP Nation­al Secretary, Hon Sunday Udeh- Okoye, was attacked and dragged out of BoT meeting.

The crisis was so intensed that armed police, soldiers, Civil Defence and Department of State Services (DSS) were drafted to en­sure that peace return to the party.

Udeh-Okoye and Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, have been having a running battle over who is the rightful person to occupy the po­sition of PDP National Secretary. At the moment, the matter has gotten to the Supreme Court for final verdict.

The crisis, has divided mem­bers of the National Working Committee (NWC), who have already taken side with either Anyanwu or Udeh-Okoye.

The allegation that the BoT leadership is complicit to the crisis rocking the PDP received a boost from Udeh-Okoye, who disclosed that he was properly invited to the meeting of BoT.

Ude-Okoye said he was shocked that when he arrived and took his seat to participate as secretary of the PDP in which position he was invited, he was subjected to attacks, an avenue to force him out of the meeting venue.

Udeh-Okoye, who disclosed that his name was number 46 in the list of BoT members invited for the meeting, added that “I wasn’t forcefully pushed out. Some people wanted to attack me and I decided to move out in defense of myself. No one pushed me out but in defense of myself, I moved out”

Asked to react to remarks by the BoT Chairman to the effect that the issues between him and Anyanwu has been resolved, Ude-Okoye said, “which National Secretary are you talking about, is it me or who? I am the National Secretary, so maybe you didn’t get what the BoT chairman said. The BoT chairman said that it is going to be resolved and a committee has been formed. He even men­tioned the name of the chairman of the committee, Tanimu Turaki SAN. That was his statement.

“I have already assumed office; I have assumed duty. On the 30th of December 2024, I assumed of­fice and it is everywhere.”

In his opening speech at the 79th meeting of BoT, Wabara said, “this meeting comes at a time when the unity, focus and direc­tion and ideals of our great Party are being tested in ways that call for reflection and decisive action.

“Primarily, let me express my profound disappointment over the crises currently rocking the lead­ership of the National Working Committee (NWC). As elder states­men and women; leaders who hold the trust of the generality of our party members and the public, it is disheartening that these issues have not been resolved.

“The failure to resolve these in­ternal conflicts undermines the strength and credibility of our party. It is therefore imperative that the NWC rises above person­al interests and places the surviv­al and progress of our great party above all other considerations.

“In the light of these challeng­es, I must emphasise the urgent need for a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting. I again urge the NWC to honour its words and convene the NEC meeting as scheduled in Febru­ary 2025. It is pertinent to stress that party members across the country are in earnest expecta­tion that the NEC meeting will hold this February.

“The NEC remains the high­est decision-making body of our party, and it is crucial that we convene without further delay to address these pressing concerns. The NEC meeting will serve as a platform to reaffirm our shared commitment to the unity, dis­cipline, and ideals that bind us together as members of the PDP.”

In his remarks, Damagun said: “I want to say this with the highest sense of responsibility, part of this crisis that you see to­day within the NWC, is propelled by our leaders that are supposed to unite us.

“It’s very unfortunate, I would say it the way it is, where people are called, we all know the work­ing of NWC, some of you here have been NWC members. I’ll be sitting down as the chairman only to see my members called by cer­tain leaders to visit certain places, without my knowledge. Each one of you, if you are the chairman, will find it difficult. And I want to use this opportunity to caution us, caution our leaders.

“You may have ambition, but you don’t ride on a dead horse to reach your destination. If you cre­ate crisis simply to further your ambition, you may get what you want, but your dream will not be realized, because by that time, you have injured the horse you are go­ing to ride to that destination.

“And as the conscience of this party, some of us are also complic­it. We should look inwards, search our conscience. This party is dear to all of us, it is the only thing we have. The hope of Nigerians to­day is on this party, so we should sheath our swords, work towards uniting ourselves so that we’ll have a credible vehicle that can challenge what is bedeviling us.

“At the last meeting we had with the governor, we all agreed we’ll have NEC. I want to assure you that we’ll do everything pos­sible to have this NEC in this February. You are all aware we’ve started the process of zonal con­gresses.

“Even at that, I enjoin our leaders to also be mindful of do­ing anything that can mar these congresses. It’s very important to sound this note because whatev­er we do, is the structure you are building to hold what you have at your hand. Like you said, we are supposed to bring credible people. We’ve had congresses recently about almost 29 state. We have problems in few states. I think we are getting there.”

The BoT, in their communi­que expressed “serious concerns over the unresolved challenges facing the Party especially as re­lated to the disagreements within the National Working Committee (NWC).

“The BoT calls on the mem­bers of the NWC, all organs, leaders and critical stakeholders of our Party across board to rise above personal, group or section­al interests and place the stability, unity, sustenance and progress of our Party and its ideals above all other considerations.

“In the effort to resolve the current crisis over the position of the National Secretary of the Party, which is presently before the Courts, the BoT set up a committee led by Barr Kabiru Tanimu Tura­ki SAN to interface with the par­ties, study the situation and report to the Board for further action.

“The Acting National Chair­man assured the BoT that the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting will hold as sched­uled in scheduled in February 2025 to address all pertinent issues and reaffirm our shared commit­ment to the unity, discipline, and ideals that bind us together as members of the PDP.”