By Abiola Olawale
Amidst the internal turmoil plaguing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), governors elected under the party’s platform have collectively issued a directive for the National Working Committee (NWC) to be reinstated to its previous status quo.
The PDP Governors made this resolution following a meeting that ended in the early hours of Tuesday.
Addressing the press, the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, who is also Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, said his colleagues resolved that all suspensions of the NWC members be nullified.
Mohammed said as a political party, the PDP was bound to have disputes among members but that those challenges can always be resolved.
He said: “There is no crisis. The Governors, BoT, and the National Assembly caucus have agreed that the NWC should revert to the status quo.”
It would be recalled that the PDP has been embroiled in a web of suspensions and counter-suspensions last week.
The consequence was that two factions emerged in the party, with suspension and counter suspension of NWC members..
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, in a statement he issued last week Friday, had announced the suspension of the party’s acting National Chairman, Ambassador Illiya Damagum and the national secretary, Senator John Samuel Anyanwu.
Ologunagba proclaimed that the suspension followed due process and was in line with the PDP laid down protocols.
The statement issued by Ologunagba reads in part: “The National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP has extensively considered the series of complaints raised against the Acting National Chairman, Amb. Illiya Damagum and National Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu particularly the letter addressed by them to the Court of Appeal in Appeal No:CA/PH/307/2024 against the party’s position in the case involving the 27 former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who vacated their seats upon decamping from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The NWC condemned this anti-party activity of the Acting National Chairman and the National Secretary which is in gross violation of the provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017) and their Oath of Office.
“Consequently, the NWC, according to sections 57, 58 and 59 of the PDP Constitution, has suspended Amb. Illiya Damagum and Sen. Samuel Anyanwu as Acting National Chairman and National Secretary of the Party, respectively, and referred them to the National Disciplinary Committee for further action.”
However, in a separate statement released by Damagum’s faction, it was announced that Ologunagba had in a retaliatory move been suspended.
The statement had read thus: “The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) arising from its 593rd Meeting today, Thursday, October 10, 2024, has directed the National Publicity Secretary (NPS), Hon Debo Ologunagba and National Legal Adviser (NLA), Kamaldeen Adeyemi Ajibade, SAN, to step aside.
“As a result, the NWC constituted a committee to be chaired by the Deputy National Chairman (South) H.E. Amb. Taofeek Arapaja, to investigate the issues raised against the officers in compliance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Party.”
