Onyekachi Eze 
groundswell of tension is building in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the party prepares for its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting this September.
Last week, the party inaugurated two important committees – the National Reconciliation and Disciplinary Committees, in an effort to reposition the party before the 2027 general elections, while in faraway Jalingo, Taraba State, PDP governors held their monthly meeting and took far reaching decisions.
Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, at the inauguration of two committees in Abuja last week, attributed the attacks on him to the coming NEC meeting.
When the party held its NEC meeting last May after over two years, it adjourned with a resolution to discuss leadership change at the next meeting.
Party stakeholders from the North Central have been demanding to be allowed to fill the national chairmanship position, which has been vacant since March 2023, when Dr. Iyorchia Ayu was suspended by his ward.
Damagum, who has been acting in that capacity, is from the North East.
Former National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, told Sunday Telegraph that there is no going back in the zone’s demand to fill the national chairmanship position.
“At the last NEC, we were told to allow the congresses to pass. Now that the congresses have been held, even though there are issues in some states, the party has no other alternative than to do the needful.
“Our constitution has to be respected. It is not the first time this is happening, and we have to follow what the constitution says, which is that the zone where the vacancy occurs should be allowed to fill such position,” Ologbondiyan stated.
He insisted that Damagum should revert to his former position as Deputy National Chairman (North), for someone from North Central to occupy the national chairmanship position.
Leadership change, the just concluded congresses in about 26 states and reconciliation of aggrieved members, will likely dominate discussions at the NEC meeting.
Though Damagum boasted that the party conducted successful congresses, most of the congresses are still pending in courts for adjudication.
PDP governors, after their meeting in Jalingo, noted the political impasse that followed the congresses, “where court judgements are employed to determine the outcome of the party congresses.”
Sunday Telegraph was told that when the governors met in Enugu before the congresses, they resolved that the party structure in Rivers State should be given to the state governor, Sim Fubara.
“But Damagum refused to allow Fubara to even participate in congress. He gave the materials (for the congress) to (Nyesom) Wike, and the governors were very angry,” a party source disclosed.
PDP governors, in a communiqué issued at the end of their meeting last Friday, promised to “engage the NWC of our great party to revisit the congress with a view to correcting the anomaly and allowing His Excellency, Governor Siminalayi Fubara to take his rightful leadership position of the party in the state.”
Out of the 26 states where the congresses were held, about 10 states are in court, including Benue, Kogi, Kaduna, Katsina, Abia, Rivers, and Ebonyi, in an attempt to resolve the impasse.
There seems to be realignment in the party after the last NEC meeting, which is likely to play out at the next meeting.
The Board of Trustees (BoT) and the governors have now openly declared support for Fubara, unlike what was the case before.
This is unsettling the camp of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, who is behind Damagum’s continued stay in office as acting national chairman.
Wike showed his displeasure last Wednesday in a live television press conference, a day after the BoT visited Fubara, where he attacked the BoT Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara; the PDP National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), for identifying with the governor.
It also appears that there is division in the PDP National Working Committee (NWC).
Damagum, who is acting National Chairman, the National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu and the National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, seem to be disposed to the dictates of Wike, while Ajibade, the National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba and the National Financial Secretary, Daniel Woyegikuro, are in different camp.
The trio did not attend the inauguration of the two committees last week, and the party has to engage a private lawyer, instead of Ajibade, to administer oath of office on the committee members.
A source is predicting that next month’s NEC meeting will witness “intense horse trading and heated debate.”
However, a former governor, who did not want his name in print, told Sunday Telegraph, that PDP needs a father figure, who will be able to unite the members.
“How I wish the BoT can be courageous enough to call a spade a spade and say sorry when necessary. Otherwise, it will just be another round of brown envelope movement,” he stated.
He sued for reconciliation of aggrieved members, contending that the party should woo “strategically strong and influential members rather than opening the wounds!
“When you see a bleeding man, start by arresting further bleeding before applying plaster.”
The former governor regretted that PDP seemed to have a leadership vacuum at the moment, and called for adherence to the party’s constitution.
“Our grundnorm should be our constitution, not the emotions of a group of people who are inclined towards working from solutions to questions.
“The real conscience of any organisation is the constitution. This is so because there is a leadership vacuum,” he added.
However, a member of the reconciliation committee told Sunday Telegraph yesterday that the committee has not been mobilized, even as he expressed doubts on the effectiveness of the committee.
He said: “Our job is to go and beg people in the party. What happens if they do not agree? Then, it means they would leave the party. There is nothing we can do to anybody, who refuses to listen to us.”
