Umar Damagum, acting national chairman of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), says members fuelling the party’s crisis will be
expelled.
Damagum spoke in Abuja on Tuesday at the party’s national
executive committee (NEC) meeting.
The NEC is the highest decision-making organ of the PDP,
comprising state governors, serving and former presidents, former
vice-presidents, the chairman and secretary of the board of trustees (BoT),
principal officers of the national assembly, all state chairpersons, members of
the national working committee (NWC), former governors, and founding members,
among others.
According to section 31(4) of the PDP constitution, the NEC
is required to meet every three months. However, the opposition party has not
convened a NEC meeting since April 2024.
The PDP has been grappling with an internal crisis since
2022, leading many members to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress
(APC).
Damagum said the opposition party has an internal mechanism
to address its crisis.
“I want to also reiterate that the beauty of the PDP is that
it has always had an internal mechanism to surmount whatever obstacle from
anybody, even if he’s an alien, whom we know, to solve its problem,” he said.
“And this is one of them. People are outside, waiting to see
whether we can surmount all these self-inflicted problems and somehow
engineered from some quarters.
“But with the help of God, we continue to overcome. They
will put up obstacles, and we will surmount them until we show them the way
out.”
The acting national chairman said the NEC would meet thrice
before the national convention, which is scheduled for the end of the year.
Adolphus Wabara, chairman of the PDP BoT, said the party was
once “a beacon of hope” for Nigerians and must reclaim that role.
“The journey of our party has been long, sometimes
turbulent, but always deeply rooted in our collective aspirations for a united,
democratic and prosperous Nigeria,” Wabara said.
“While we have faced internal and external challenges, and
in most cases self-inflicted challenges, we have also witnessed our enduring
strength, the strength of our ideals, the resilience of our supporters, and the
loyalty of millions of Nigerians as we also see today in the PDP as the most
credible platform for national transformation.”
Wabara said divisions, mistrust, and lingering grievances
among the party leaders have hampered the PDP’s progress and blurred its
vision.
He advised party leaders to recommit to reconciliation and
restore faith in the PDP.
“We must open our hearts to forgive and dialogue. No
ambition, grievance or misunderstanding should ever be allowed to override the
collective interests of our party,” he said.
“Our doors must remain wide open to fresh ideas and new
members who believe in justice, equity and equality.”
He said peace and unity are sacrosanct because Nigerians
hope the PDP will reclaim the presidency.
“The ordinary Nigerian is tired of hardship, insecurity, and
unfulfilled promises. They are looking for leadership that listens, leadership
that delivers and leadership that matters,” he said.
“Let the PDP rise. Let us strengthen our internal democracy,
revamp our communication channels and prioritise policies that directly touch
the lives of everyday Nigerians.”
Wabara added that the PDP must articulate a people-focused
vision and present a credible alternative, not just as critics of government
but as champions of the future.
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