The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum has said it was aware of plans by some persons to factionalise the party and take a part of it to form a coalition.
Chairman of the forum, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, told newsmen after a meeting, in Abuja, yesterday, that the opposition governors would not allow anyone to destabilise the party.
He spoke as the former chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, withdrew the suit challenging his sack.
The Bauchi governor said the forum was concerned about resolving all issues, so that congresses can be conducted in states, where the tenure of the executives have expired.
“We are talking about resolving all the issues and going forward, so that at the end of the day, the timeliness allowed in the constitution for congresses and w2hat have you, would have been done.”
Amidst the tension, the PDP NWC has commended Damagum for stabilising the party.
The National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, in a statement, said the vote of confidence was based on Damagum’s efforts at repositioning the PDP as the main opposition party in Nigeria.
Damagum was appointed as the acting chairman following the suspension of the former chairman, Iyorcha Ayu, in 2023.
Responding to questions on the supremacy tussle in the party, she aid there were no contentions. and that the governors’ meeting was not convened to discuss change of leadership in the party.
“But certainly, the public are free to discuss and, of course, NEC will decide on some of these issues.There are no contending forces. Who is NEC? NEC is the PDP Governors’ Forum and other stakeholders, so we are just a portion of NEC. We cannot talk on behalf of NEC until we get there.
“NEC will take decisions on such issues, not the governors. I know the governors normally take leadership positions, but we have an acting person in leadership capacity leading the party; and NEC will decide whether it is time to fill the vacancy looking at the legal implications of doing that, knowing there are so many lingering litigations in court. And of course, we don’t want to disparage ourselves, because we know there are some marauders hiding somewhere trying to factionalise our party and take one faction to go and do a coalition.
“We are not going to allow that as governors. We are very responsible and we are very credible and we make sure we resolve all the issues and unify the party for maximum efficiency and success in the next election.”
The forum, in a communique issued by the governors and read by the Bauchi governor, stated that the meeting, which was held at the Akwa Ibom Governors Lodge, discussed matters of interest to it and the PDP.
“The meeting reviewed recent developments in the Peoples Democratic Party and urged the National Working Committee to set in motion the machinery to conduct credible congresses in all the states where tenures of party officers have expired.
“The meeting noted that there are no factions in the PDP and everybody is working together. We equally want to use this opportunity to reaffirm that in Rivers State, the governors would work assiduously towards resolving all the issues in the state with a view to uniting all the stakeholders.
The meeting was attended by Siminalayi Fubara, Rivers State; Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, Adamawa State; Umo Eno, Akwa Ibom State; Douye Diri, Bayelsa State; Sheriff Oborevwori, Edo State deputy governor, Omobayo Godwins and his Enugu State counterpart, Ifeanyi Ossai.
Peoplesmind gathered that Ayu’s decision to discontinue the suit has taken the sail off the plan by loyalists of the former governor of Rivers State, to push for the confirmation of Umar Damagum as substantive chairman at today’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting. Damagum took over as acting chairman. Those pushing for Damagum had argued that since Ayu’s case challenging his removal was pending, there was no need appointing a substantive national chairman.
In the run-up to the NEC meeting, loyalists of former vice president Atiku Abubakar and Wike have been engaged in supremacy tussle over which camp would produce the national chairman.
The Wike supporters, within and outside the NWC, are pushing for the confirmation of Damagun or in the alternative for him to be allowed to continue to act in that capacity, until after the off season elections in Edo and Ondo states.
On the flipside, Atiku’s camp is pushing for the appointment of a substantive national chairman from the North Central, where Ayu hails from in line with the PDP constitution.
The NEC, which is the second highest organ of the party, consists of the national chairman, members of the NWC and their deputies as well as the chairman and secretary of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and all former NWC members, who are still members of the party. Others are serving and former presidents and vice presidents, who are members of the party; serving and former governors, who are members of the party, founding members, past national chairmen, deputy national chairmen, national secretaries, BoT chairmen and secretaries and past past presiding officers of the National Assembly, who are members of the party.
The NEC also include principal officers of the National Assembly, who are members of the party, as well as 18 senators elected and 24 House of Representatives members elected on the platform of the PDP, all state chairmen and six ex-officio members, elected from each of the six geo-political zone, as well as all former principal of the National Assembly produced by the PDP, who are still members of the party.
Peoplesmind