The Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party has raised questions regarding the continued tenure of the party’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu.
Recent concerns have been voiced by many party members regarding Damagum and Anyanwu’s prolonged stay in their respective roles.
Previously, Damagum served as the PDP National Deputy Chairman (North) and stepped into the role of acting National Chairman after the court suspended the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, in March of the previous year.
Anyanwu, who previously served as the National Secretary, was chosen as the PDP candidate for the Imo State 2023 governorship election, leaving the South zone seeking a replacement. Despite this, he and other party leaders contested and maintained their positions after losing to Governor Hope Uzodinnma.
On Wednesday and early Thursday morning, both the PDP’s National Working Committee and National Caucus expressed full support for Damagum’s leadership.
During the party’s forum meeting at the Headquarters in Abuja, the PDP BoT Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, acknowledged that the matter before the party weighs heavily on their collective conscience.
He stated that the gathering presents them with a valuable opportunity to reflect on the party’s situation, the challenges they face, and the necessary steps to move towards progress and unity.
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 former Senate President highlighted that the solutions to these two problems are enshrined in our party’s constitution. However, deliberate legal conflicts have made it impossible to enact these constitutional solutions.
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.”
The acting National Chairman of the PDP reiterated in his previous remarks that consultations are currently in progress 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.
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