PDP Crisis: Damagum’s opponents can resign, join opposition – Deputy national officers

By Tunde Opalana

Critical stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), the deputy national officers have taken side in the leadership crisis rocking the party by backing the acting National Chairman, Amb. Ilya Damagun and his National Working Committee (NWC).

The officers who are elected deputies to national working committee members in an attempt to save the soul of the party addressed the press on Wednesday at the PDP secretariat, Abuja insisting it is high time to expose those who have been paid to cripple the party.

Speaking on behalf of a group of the deputies, Mr. Timothy Osadolor, Deputy National Youth Leader the party is dealing with “disillusionment of members across the country and beyond, for reasons bothering on distrust, insincerity, lack of firm enforcement of agreements, self serving interests and unnecessary eye service that is laced with smooth tongues.

With Osadolor at the briefing were; Ibrahim Abdullahi – Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ndubuisi Ene – Deputy National Financial Secretary and Pascal Adigwe – Deputy National Organising Secretary.

“Worrisome is the action of a members of the party who under the guise of ‘due process advocates’ act on behalf of self serving leaders lurking behind the scenes mischievously causing misunderstanding in the party.

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“This behavior is apparently self serving on their path, as it is not in the interest of the PDP in anyway. It is ethically and morally wrong for members of the party to move around creating confusion instead of exploring our internal mechanism for peace.”

Emphasizing that a few highly placed party chieftains have woked against the interest of the party, he said “all have sinned. From the BOT chairman who endorsed an opposition governor, to candidates that negotiated and supported other party candidate in promises to get their return support, to NWC members and leaders that lost their polling units.”

The deputies urged all to forget the past, stop apportioning blames and rally round the Damagum- led NWC to stabilize the party ahead of 2027.

“We must all come down from our high horses, forget pride for now and join hands with the party as led by Amb. Illya Damagun to reposition this party back to winning ways.

“Court distractions and media demarketing of the PDP must stop forth with.

“You do not need to like the officers, but the party is more important. If you want to resign and go, be a proper opposition, do not be here and going from tv house to radio house abusing the party.

“The case of the acting national chairman is settled till December, 2025, and on that of the National Secretary, see wait on the courts. Let’s learn to love and support PDP first and always.

“We the deputies, we are committed to work with all stakeholders to ensure that PDP regains her pride of place and find herself back in Aso rock to and for the benefit of Nigeria and Nigerians,” said Osadolor.

The party chieftains bemoaned the current hardships occasioned by pivert and insecurity that Nigerians are facing while stressing that PDP has failed in its duty of providing vibrant criticism of the anti-people policies of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Accordingly, they submitted that the task ahead of PDP is to prepare for the next elections and not the present bickering which is distracting attention and misdirecting energies that could have been put to better use.

“Lest we forget, political parties are formed for the sole purpose of gaining power through elections, aimed at improving the security and welfare of the people.

“The last ten years has been characterized by abysmal performance, it has spared no one and will continue unless we put our acts together.

“From 2013 till date personal ambitions has driven us to heights of pure mischief and arrogant use of power. This has led to agreements not being kept and the ambiguities in our Constitution being explored by those in position, even through the courts.

“We are all complicit by being perpetrators, supporters or silent. No one is coming to save us, we must stand up and become heroes, we brought ourselves here.

“Tomorrow beckons on us, to rise up and surmount these challenges. As we await the outcome of the on going litigations, let us work towards the up coming constitutionally backed stakeholders engagements, embrace each other, and put plans in place to amend the ambiguities, the loop holes in our Constitution.

“Our individual ambitions must be within the ambits of the law and must be pursued with sincerity and loyalty to party not the mischief and arrogance that we always display,” they charged.

The body appreciated party members who still keep the flag and membership of this party, across the 774 local governments of the country.