From Ndubuisi Orji
When Ambassador Umar Damagum was appointed as acting national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP), on March 28, 2023 , it was with the understanding that he would be in office for a few months, after which a substantive national chairman will be chosen from the North Central, in line with the PDP constitution.
Damagum, who is the PDP Deputy National chairman (North) had stepped into the office of national chairman, in the aftermath of the ouster of the immediate past party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu. Ayu, a former President of the Senate, who is from the North Central, was suspended by his ward, shortly after the 2023 general election, in Benue State, paving the way for his sack.
Article 47 (6) of the constitution stipulates that “ where a vacancy occurs in any of the office of the party, the Executive Committee at the appropriate level shall appoint another person from the area or zone where the officer originated from to serve out the tenure of the officer.”
However, 20 months after, Damagum is still in the saddle as acting national chairmanship, while the crisis in the opposition party has continued to fester. Apart from the crises in state chapters, major organs of the party are still polarized.
The National Working Committee (NWC), under the acting national chairman, had prevaricated over the holding of a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) for 13 months, until April 18. The NEC is the second highest organ of the opposition party, next only to the National Convention.
Prior to the April 18 NEC meeting, tension reached an all time high, as the schism that developed before the 2023 general elections resurfaced.
Recall that the opposition party, shortly after the nomination of Atiku Abubakar and Ifeanyi Okowa, as PDP presidential and vice presidential candidates, in the last general elections, was hit by crisis as the G-5 led by the Minister of Federal Capital Territory ( FCT), Nyesom Wike demanded the replacement of Ayu as national chairman as a condition for supporting the party in the last election.
Nevertheless, the issue was not reserved, forcing the party to go into the 2023 polls with a divided house.
Expectedly, ahead of the April 18 NEC meeting, the gladiators returned to the trenches. While Wike’s loyalists were pushing for the continuation of Damagum as acting national chairman, Atiku supporters were pushing for the replacement of the acting chairman with a candidate from the North Central; with both groups in the opposition party, jostling to outwit each in the quest to decide the leadership of the PDP.
The chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees ( BoT), Adolphus Wabara, while speaking at the NEC meeting, noted that Damagum has overstayed as acting national chairman.
Wabara said: “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. “
Nevertheless, the NEC resolved that Damagum should stay in office until August 15, when another meeting, would be held to choose a substantive national chairman. It also directed the North Central chapter of the party to present their candidate for the National chairmanship at the next NEC meeting, and approved the constitution of a reconciliation, as well as disciplinary committees.
Nonetheless, apart from the constitution of the National Reconciliation and Disciplinary Committees headed by former Osun State governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola and former Minister of External Affairs, Tom Ikimi, respectively, nothing has changed in the major opposition party.
While the National Reconciliation and Disciplinary Communities are yet to make any headway in their assignments, the crisis in some state chapters still remain unresolved.
On its part, the Damagum led NWC has continued to shift the goal post for the holding of a NEC meeting. So far, NEC meeting has been postponed thrice, as the Pro- Damagum and Anti-Damagum groups jostle for supremacy.
Nonetheless, there is no consensus on whether or not Damagum stays in office as acting chairman for the past 20 months has violated the PDP Constitution. This is especially as the pro and anti-Damagum camps are quick to cite different sections of the Constitution.
While Pro Damagum camp are quick to point Article 35(3) (C) of the PDP Constitution, which empowers the deputy national chairman from the same zone as the national chairman to act, in the event of a vacancy, the anti- Damagum group has continued to insist that his continued stay as acting national chairman is a violation of the party constitution, citing Article 47 (6) of the PDP constitution.
Article 35(3)(C) of the PDP Constitution (2017), states that “in the event of resignation, removal, death or absence of the National chairman from the region/ part of the country where the National chairman originated from shall assume office as National Chairman in acting capacity without prejudice to Section 47(6) of this Constitution…”
While Article 47 (6) of the constitution stipulates that “ where a vacancy occurs in any of the office of the party, the Executive Committee at the appropriate level shall appoint another person from the area or zone where the officer originated from to serve out the tenure of the officer.”
Ironically, the North Central chapter of the PDP, under the leadership of Plateau State governor, Caleb Muftwang, has not been forthcoming with the zone’s nominee for the chairmanship of the opposition party.
Nevertheless, as gladiators in the party continue the battle for the soul of the PDP, the crisis in the opposition party is deepening.
Last month, the PDP NWC broke into two, after Damagum faction suspended the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba and the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade for alleged disloyalty.
On the flipside, Ologunagba, in a statement announced the sack of Damagum and Samuel Anyanwu as national chairman and national Secretary respectively. The PDP spokesman announced the appointment of the national treasurer, Ahmed Yayari as the new acting national chairman of the opposition party.
After a public spat that lasted for about a week, the PDP Governors Forum intervened. Although all the suspensions have been reversed, inside source said what currently exists in the PDP NWC is a peace of the graveyard. A situation, stakeholders say, could be counter-productive for the opposition party.
In October, a Federal High Court in Abuja, in a judgment barred the PDP from replacing Damagum, until the party’s next national convention in December 2025.
Also, a member of the party in Zamfara approached a Zamfara High Court to compel the opposition to hold the meeting on the stipulated date. However, the court rejected the prayers.
After a stakeholders meeting attended by the PDP Governors Forum, BoT members, NWC members, the opposition party resolved to reschedule the meeting for November 28. Regardless, last Thursday, the party in a public notice by the National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu announced the postponement of the NEC meeting.
According to the PDP scribe, the postponement was because of the burial of the wife of the Akwa State governor, Umoh Eno, scheduled for November 29. Nonetheless, no new date was announced for a meeting of the party organ. Recall that the NEC meeting had previously been shifted to October 24 and November 28.
Besides, inside sources say last Thursday’ notice calling off the NEC was a strategic move to preempt the PDP Governors Forum, which met in Jos, the Plateau State capital, last Saturday. Daily Sun gathered that the plot by pro- Damagum group is to allegedly continue shifting the NEC meeting, until very close to the expiration of the tenure of the current NWC.
Ironically, Article 31(4) states that the NEC “shall meet at least once in every quarter at the instance of the National Chairman or at the request of two/third of its membership, who shall notify the chairman at least seven days prior to the meeting and an emergency meeting may be summoned by the National chairman having regard to all the circumstances of the agenda.”
While the Governors Forum, after meeting, in Jos, last Saturday, had asked the NWC to ensure that the NEC meeting holds by the first week of February, 2025, spokesman of the coalition of opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives, Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere, said the incessant postponement of the meeting is a ploy to keep Damagum as acting chairman until the 2027 general elections.
Ugochinyere said, “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 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. “
The 2027 dimensions
Inside sources say the tussle for the control of the opposition party is motivated by the politics of the 2027 general elections. This is because whoever emerges as national chairman will preside over the December 2025 National Convention of the PDP, where new members of the NWC will be elected. And the NWC will in turn decide the issue of zoning for the next general election, as well as preside over the nomination of the presidential candidate.
Daily Sun gathered that owing to the perceived failures of the President Bola Tinubu administration, gladiators take it for granted that the electorate will naturally gravitate towards the PDP in 2027.
The Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, while speaking at the unveiling of the Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI), had noted that Nigerians were looking up to the PDP for succour in 2027. Nevertheless, Makinde stated that the opposition party needed to be fixed, so that it can fix the country.
According to him, “as we approach 2027, it is clear that the PDP has to provide real hope for Nigeria. And by revitalizing the PDI, that real hope is being provided for our people. Our country needs direction. Nigerians are looking up to the PDP to provide an ideological foundation.
“The PDP can, and will do everything in its power to fix Nigeria. We can fix Nigeria. We’ll fix PDP and then PDP will fix Nigeria. And that will be the basis of real hope for the people of Nigeria.”
However, not a few party leaders believe that the crisis in the opposition party, especially, as it concerns disregard for the rules of the party, will militate against the ability of the PDP to re-organise itself for the 2027 polls.
A member of the PDP NEC, who does not want his name in print, told Daily Sun that in as much as Nigerians are looking up to the PDP for succour, the crisis is robbing the party of the opportunity to provide effective opposition and galvanize Nigerians for the next general election.
According to him, “for me, party is about whether we actually want to be a party of law and constitution or a party of individual prejudices or personal interests that often will obliterate our own capacity to even abide and stay within our laws and constitution.
“We expected that people holding position should recognize that the interest of the party should supersede individual interest. If we must continue to have supremacy of party constitution.”
He added that the resolution of the power tussle in the PDP, “is important not just for the party, even for democracy. When you don’t have a virile opposition, then the government in power can do whatever they like. An example of that is that the President just got up to say they are taking a loan of N2. 2billion dollars. Nobody discussed that. In a matter of hours, they passed it. What is the caucus of the opposition doing there. “
