Ahead of Thursday’s pivotal meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), anxiety is said to have set into the camp of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over the loss of the support of some governors of the party in the bid to entrench Ambassador Iliya Damagun, as the substantive national chairman of the party.
Beyond his already well -known rivals who opposed his G5 during the 2023 general election, one of the new governors in the north is leading the group now attempting to stop the imposition of Damagun, who is from the northeast zone.
Wike was said to have been talking with the governor on the need to support the continuation of the acting national chairman in office until late Friday night when the FCT minister realised that the governor from the North-Central would not budge, causing anxiety in the camp.
Damagun, the substantive deputy chairman (North), has been acting as the national chairman since March 2023, following the forced resignation of Dr Iyorchia Ayu, who is from the North-Central.
The PDP Constitution prescribes that where its national officer leaves office before the end of tenure, the individual should be replaced by another from the same zone.
The governor and his associates are miffed that Wike is actively pushing for Damagun’s confirmation to serve out the short-circuited Ayu’s tenure against the spirit of the law of the party constitution.
The FCT minister’s camp is also said to be pushing for Damagun to be replaced as deputy national chairman (North) by Dr Daniel Ombugadu, the party’s 2023 governorship candidate in Nasarawa State.
Chapter 6 section 45(1) of the constitution, which addresses the issue of resignation or removal of national officers, states that if a national officer of the party is removed or resigns from office, he shall immediately hand over to the national secretary all records, files and other properties of the party in his possession.
While section 45(2) states: “In the case of the national chairman, he shall hand over to the deputy national chairman from his own region/part of the country who shall, without prejudice to section 47 (6) of this constitution, act as the national chairman pending the election of a replacement.”
Those, who want Damagun to leave are relying on section 47(6) which specifically states: “Where a vacancy occurs in any of the offices of the party, the executive committee of the appropriate level shall appoint another person from the area or zone where the officer originated from to serve out the tenure of the officer.”
The Nigerian Tribune learnt that his insistence that the prescription of the constitution must be followed in order not to create chaos in the party has reportedly set panic in the former Rivers State governor’s camp that also has other party stakeholders pushing back on his effort.
However, it was similarly gathered that Wike is banking on the PDP Governors Forum chairman and governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed and his Taraba State counterpart, Kefas Agbu, to ensure that Damagun is confirmed as the new substantive national chairman.
Both Governors Mohammed and Kefas represent Damagun’s North-East geo-political zone.
Party sources confirmed that those opposing Wike’s plan are working on the theory that, “We cannot give the party to people who are openly hobnobbing with the ruling party hierarchy.”
“I believe that the stakeholders in the party have also taken cognizance of the fact that the party has found itself at a crossroad, the culture of those who are worshipping both God and mammon at the same time.
“I believe that working in tandem with them, the objective is to return the party to the vision of the founding fathers of a big umbrella that is big enough to accommodate the complexities, the diversities, the interests of Nigerians and all of that,” a top party source told the Nigerian Tribune.
Meanwhile, former Benue State governor, Gabriel Suswam, who has already declared his interest for the top PDP post, is trying to rally the North-Central to assume a consensus position.
A source close to him, affirmed Sunday that since the constitution is on the side of the region, its political stakeholders must work together to counter whatever the Wike group may present at the NEC meeting that is contrary to the interest of the zone.
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