Facts about Umar Damagum, who replaced Ayu as PDP chairman

BY ORIAKU IJELE

The end of Iyorchia Ayu as the national chairman of PDP eventually came in an uneventful manner as the Benue State born, ex Senate President resigned from his exalted position, amidst a torrent of crisis, situated within law suits.

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) subsequently replaced Senator Iyioricha Ayu with Amb. Umar Ililya Damagum as National Chairman.

During an emergency meeting on Tuesday, the NWC acknowledged the order of the Benue State High Court, which barred Ayu from parading himself as Chairman of the party.

The problem of the party took a new dimension on Sunday when Igyorov Ward stakeholders in Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State suspended Ayu over alleged anti-party activities.

Although, Ayu had described the action as an exercise in futility, saying any organ of the party or executive committee of the party at the Ward or State Level could not take any disciplinary measure against any member of the party’s National Executive Committee, the threats from the lowly Ward, would eventually ease him out of office.

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Now there is a new chairman in town, and while his name may not ring that famailiar tone, Umar Damagum is not a neophyte in the Nigerian political circle. Some of the highpoints of the Yobe state born former ambassador include: He was born on August 10, 1963 in Damagum (Present Fune Local Government Area of Yobe State); Damagum attended Damagum Central Primary School from 1971 – 1977 and thereafter proceeded to Government College Maiduguri for his secondary school education between 1977 and 1982. He later gained an admission into Remedial Studies in the University Of Maiduguri (1982-83), where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts Education (B.A. Education) In 1988. He Studied Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the same university in 2003/2004; Until his appointment, Damagum was the PDP national deputy chairman (north); He was a Nigerian ambassador to Romania from 2004 to 2007 and n 2019, he ran as the gubernatorial candidate of PDP IN Yobe but lost to APC’s Mai Mala Buni.