Fayose backs Damagum’s suspension, says PDP near extinction
Former Ekiti State governor Ayodele Fayose has supported the controversial suspension of Umar Damagum as national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
On Saturday, the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) led by Damagum suspended Samuel Anyanwu, national secretary; Kamaldeen Ajibade, national legal adviser; Okechukwu Osuoha, deputy legal adviser; and Umaru Bature, national organising secretary, over allegations of anti-party conduct.
Debo Ologunagba, PDP spokesperson, announced the decision at a press conference following an emergency NWC meeting in Abuja.
Shortly after, a faction loyal to Anyanwu — backed by Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister Nyesom Wike — counter-suspended Damagum, Ologunagba, Taofeek Arapaja (deputy national vice-chairman, south), Daniel Woyenguikoro (national financial secretary), Sulaiman Kadade (national youth leader), and Setonji Koshoedo (deputy national secretary). The faction also named Mohammed Abdulrahman, national vice-chairman (north-central), as acting national chairman.
Speaking in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, Fayose said the PDP had become a “hopeless” party close to collapse.
“There is no hope of PDP coming back for now. Even the captains of our boats are jumping ship. They are jumping from one bed to another. So who is going to hold the party together? PDP has reasonably gone into extinction, unfortunately,” he said.
“The Damagum-led national working committee are undertakers. They have come to bury the party. It will interest you that they are going in less than one month or two; they are still suspending and counter-suspending.
“But you never can tell. You can find a doctor in Abdulrahman who is willing to turn the tables around for the party. But right now, the party is in a comatose state. If someone comes to the rescue and decides to save the party, as in the case of Abdulrahman, we will give him a chance. That’s why I said earlier that he should go and rescue this party.
“We are happy we have a new acting national chairman, Abdulrahman, who emerged yesterday (Saturday) as a result of the confidence reposed in him after the suspension of the former chairman.”
Fayose predicted that Damagum would not return, comparing his situation to that of former PDP chairman Iyorchia Ayu.
“You will recall this is the same way PDP former chairman, Iyorchia Ayu’s crisis started. Damagun will go the way of Ayu, I can assure you. His last service to the party was before the suspension. Damagun is not going to return as chairman to that office,” he said.
“In the first place, he (Damagum) was not supposed to be the chairman. He only represented an interregnum, but manipulated the process to become the chairman and caused so much confusion. He caused so much confusion everywhere. It shows that the man, Damagum, has been incompetent; he does not have what it takes to operate in that office and act in that capacity.”
Fayose urged Abdulrahman to work toward restoring unity within the party.
