PDP crisis: Damagum gets reprieve, leads Ondo campaign

The governors elected under the Peoples Democratic Party have annulled the suspensions of some National Working Committee members and restored the status quo to when Umar Damagum led a unified NWC.

Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, made this announcement on Tuesday during an interview with journalists at the Private Wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

Since taking over as acting National Chairman after Senator Iyorchia Ayu’s court removal, Damagum has been confronted with mounting criticisms from party leaders due to the ongoing crisis in the PDP, leading to calls for his resignation.

His indecisiveness has also intensified tensions in Rivers State between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor and Minister of Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike.
In a surprise turn of events on Friday, Damagum’s faction of the NWC, through its National Director of Publicity, Chinwe Nnorom, announced the suspension of National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba and National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN) for alleged insubordination and actions against the party.

Shortly thereafter, Ologunagba issued a statement claiming that the NWC had suspended Damagum and National Secretary Sen. Samuel Anyanwu for disloyalty to the PDP, appointing National Treasurer Yayari Ahmed Mohammed as the acting National Chairman.

To address the issues, the PDP Governors Forum held a Zoom meeting on Monday, but it ended without reaching a conclusion.
The Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum Bala Mohammed announced in Abuja that the internal conflicts had been resolved.

The Bauchi State Governor stated that there was no longer a faction within the PDP National Working Committee, noting that operations had returned to normal under Damagum, until the governors and other party bodies would meet to address all outstanding issues.

Mohammed stated, “I want to inform you on behalf of the PDP Governors Forum, Chairman of the Senate Caucus and the representative of the BoT, we had a family meeting and we wish you to reaffirm that there is no faction in the PDP.

“All these suspensions that you heard, the governors and the NWC, the Caucus of the National Assembly and the BoT have resolved everything. There is no faction, everything has reverted to status quo under acting chairman Damagum, pending the time the governors and other organs of the party will sit down and resolve all the issues.

“There is no party that does not have problems. Some of them are legal and we do not want to preempt the outcome of legal procedure.”

Mohammed emphasised that personal emotions should not be allowed to shape perceptions that could lead to division among members.

He added, “So, whatever speculations and perception that have gone out are wrong. And of course, both parties have agreed, in the interest of the party and Nigeria, to come back to status quo during the suspension and counter-suspension.
“The suspensions have been lifted, no more suspensions. That is the resolution of the PDP Governors’ Forum.

“To members of the party, they should remember that it is the PDP that we have, and is the most experience party that have produced governments and good governance since 1999. So, we should make sacrifices, come together, yes we may have ill feelings here and there, but we should bury them.

“Our personal feelings should not be inputted to create perception out there that seems to divide us.”

In response to whether the National Executive Committee meeting on October 24 would take place as scheduled, Governor Mohammed added, “The governors, BoT and NWC will sit down and discuss the October 24 NEC meeting.”

In his response, Damagum stated that there was no crisis within the party.

“There is no any crisis in the party as far as I am concerned but people want to cash out on situations like this. But I want them, especially the press that escalate things even where there is no crisis, to know that there is no crisis in the party.

“As far as I am concerned, the governors are our leaders and they are critical organs of this party and when they speak we have to look at it holistically and also abide by it.”
When asked if he agreed to Ologunagba and Ajibade (SAN) being reinstated into the PDP NWC, Damagum stated, “Have they left? They are in the party.”

Chieftains unite in Akure

Chieftains of the opposition party converged on Oyemekun Road, Akure, the Ondo State capital, to kick start its campaign ahead of the state’s governorship poll billed for November 16.

Hundreds of the party faithful wore branded party uniforms and fez caps  amid fanfare as the flag of the party was presented to the party’s governorship candidate, Agboola Ajayi, by Damagun.

The rally was attended by national and state leaders of the party, who included Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State and Governor Mohammed of Bauchi State, as well as Senator Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, a former governor of Eboyin State, Sam Egwu, a former deputy governor of Ondo State, Ambassador Omolade Oluwateru, among others.
Presenting the flag to the candidate, Damagun said the party was set to  take back the state . He charged the people to protect their votes and deliver themselves from the government of the All Progressives Congress, which according to him, had brought hardship to the people.

Damagun said, “It is a known fact that APC has brought hunger to this nation. This is the time to pay them back. This is the opportunity for you to change the narrative.
“Agboola Ajayi is the person to do it for you. Don’t trust them; don’t allow them to steal your votes. They did it in Edo but don’t allow them in Ondo here, come out on November 16 and vote for PDP.”

In his speech, on behalf of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Governor Mohammed stated, “Ondo State is a place where everyone knows his rights. All the 13 governors are behind you. We are one in the PDP, there is no faction. Every responsible person belongs to PDP; we must deliver ourselves from hunger, from hardship of the APC. “

Also speaking, Governor Makinde called on INEC to ensure the election was conducted in a free, fair and credible atmosphere.

Makinde stated, “I want to implore you, don’t sell your votes, this is the beginning of victory in Ondo State. INEC should play the game according to the rules. What happened in Edo election should not happen in Ondo.”

Former Ebonyi governor, Sam Egwu, who represented the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the PDP, Senator Adolphus Wabara, urged the people to protect their votes.

“I want you to hold your ground, this state belongs to PDP.  We should not allow Nigeria to turn to one party. One party system is not a tenet of democracy. This election must be free and fair. The last election in Edo State is a fraud, everyone knows that and we would not allow that in Ondo State. Make sure you protect your votes.”

Meanwhile, the Osun State Governor, Adeleke, in a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, also disclosed that PDP leaders had met to ensure unity and respect for the party’s constitution.
Urging massive turnout in support for the PDP candidate at the Ondo governorship election, Adeleke stated, “Go out and cast your votes for Agboola. PDP remains one and the only alternative for a better today and tomorrow for Ondo people.

“PDP is one strong family. Leaders have met to ensure unity and respect for the party’s constitution.”

REC controversy

The PDP candidate, Ajayi, who was flanked by his running mate and member of the House of Representatives, Festus Akingbaso, and other national leaders of the party during the campaign kick off, asked the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, to remove the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Toyin Babalola, claiming she is an indigene of the state.

“We want the Chairman of INEC to redeploy Ondo REC because she was born and bred in Akure, we don’t have confidence in her,” Ajayi said.

In a similar vein, Governor Makinde, while urging Professor Yakubu to guarantee a fair and level-playing field in the forthcoming Ondo election, said the INEC boss should remove Babalola as the Ondo REC ahead of the poll.

He said, “This rally is the beginning of the victory party for the PDP in Ondo State. Please go from ward to ward, house to house for the next three weeks to win souls for the PDP and it shall be well with us.
“But I have a message for the INEC Chairman, Prof Yakubu Mahmood. You must remove the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ondo State, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, because she is from Ondo State.

“What you did in the past Edo election cannot be replicated here in Ondo. We will protest until she is removed.

“Bring another REC that would be fair and allow a level playing field. We, as PDP, are not afraid of a fair contest. Remove her; otherwise, we will continue to protest.”

But INEC refuted Makinde’s claim, saying Babalola was not an indigene of Ondo State.

In a post via its X handle on Tuesday, INEC stated that the claim was inaccurate.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Mrs. Babalola is not from Ondo State in line with the commission’s policy not to deploy a REC to his or her state of origin,” the commission said.

The electoral body also referenced a similar allegation made by Makinde in 2020, ahead of the governorship election in Ondo, where he accused a senior INEC official of collaborating with a university Vice Chancellor to influence the election outcome.
INEC dismissed that accusation as untrue.

“In 2020, ahead of the last governorship election in the same state, he (Makinde) accused a senior official of the commission of working with the Vice Chancellor of a federal university to undermine the election. The allegation was untrue,” INEC clarified.

INEC concluded by urging high-ranking public officials to verify their information before making “serial, unfounded allegations,” and called for restraint in the dissemination of unsubstantiated claims.