By Tajudeen Balogun
Former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam has blamed the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), National Chairman, Umar Damagum and the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Bala Mu
Mohammad, over the protracted crisis tearing the party apart.
Suswam made the disclosure, while being featured on a Lagos based private television station, Channels – Politics Today, monitored by The New Diplomat, on Wednesday.
The PDP Chieftain who was the Benue State Governor between 2007 and 2015, said he had deliberately decided to reserve public comments on the first opposition raging uproar.
Still, unlike many PDP stalwarts, Suswam stressed that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike was not to be blamed, as he hammered that both Damagum and Mohammad have failed to provide leadership, when it was needed most.
He maintained that Mohammad, being the leader of the Governors could have shown direction, while the party’s Chairman, also as the head, was not available when he was needed most to act, hence, the party was plunged into avoidable crisis which has become difficult to manage.
The New Diplomat reports that the PDP ripples became chaotic, when a faction of the party orchestrated the sack of Samuel Anyanwu as its National Secretary and replaced him with Sunday Udeh-Okoye.
While Anyanwu had Wike’s backing, Udeh-Okoye was enjoying the support of the PDP South East Executive Committee, being led by the Enugu State Governor, Mr Peter Mbah, also strongly supported by his Oyo State counterpart, Engr. Seyi Makinde.
The New Diplomat reported yesterday that the PDP has shifted discussion on controversy surrounding the position of its National Secretary till next month.
The PDP National Chairman disclosed this while reading the communique issued at the end of the party’s 99th National Executive Committee Meeting in Abuja, on Tuesday.
