Barely two weeks to its much-anticipated National Convention slated for Ibadan in Oyo state and about 24 hours after a court verdict was handed down to it, actors within the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have again factionalised the party as new acting National Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed, emerged from the Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the suspended party’s National Secretary faction on Saturday day.
The NWC under Damagum’s leadership had announced the suspension of Senator Anyanwu, National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), and two others from the party.
Shortly after the announcement, the Anyanwu’s faction, which also met elsewhere in Abuja, suspended its national chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum and, went ahead to declare Mohammed in acting capacity.
Briefing newsmen on behalf of his NWC faction, the PDP National Secretary, Senator Anyanwu said his faction decided to suspend Damagum for one month for offences ranging from incompetence, financial misconduct, and disregard for court judgment.
Anyanwu told newsmen that Damagum would also face the party’s disciplinary committee.
The faction also suspended deputy national vice chairman South, Taofeek Arapaja, national publicity secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba, the national youth leader, Suleiman Kadade among others.
Those who attended the Anyanwu-led NWC briefing included Bature, Dan Orbih, Austin Nwachukwu, National Vice Chairman North Central, Abdulrahman Mohammed, Chidiebere Egwu and others.
In his briefing, he said: “Unfortunately, some people may say that the National Secretary, National Organising Secretary who has the responsibility of monitoring everything and the National Legal Adviser, who is responsible for all legal issues, were purportedly suspended.
“Secondly, we also suspended the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, for issuing statements without the party’s approval, and the Deputy National Vice Chairman (South), Taofeek Arapaja, has also been suspended.
“The National Financial Secretary, Daniel Woyenguikoro, who has been involved in alleged financial misconduct, has also been suspended.
“The National Youth Leader, Sulaiman Kadade, and the Deputy National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo, have also been suspended for 30 days. All of them will be sent to the Disciplinary Committee to show cause why they should not be expelled.
“Therefore, we are announcing the National Vice Chairman (North Central) to serve as the Acting National Chairman, Mohammed Abdulrahman.”
While explaining issues surrounding his faction’s emergency meeting further, Anyanwu said: “I summoned the emergency meeting of NWC. And we unfortunately this morning, we heard from the social media that a group of people met, who are part of members of the NWC, to say that the National Secretary of the party, who is the co-chairman of the secretariat of the party, the National Organising Secretary, who has the responsibility of monitoring everything that has to do with party congresses and conventions, the National Deputy Legal Adviser, and of course the National Legal Adviser of the party, who has the sole responsibility of every issue that has to do with legality of a party, was suspended for one month.
“I extended this invitation to all members of NWC to meet here today, because today is weekend and the secretariat is not open, and we decided to have this meeting. I invited everybody for this meeting.
“First of all, we want to commend the judiciary over the judgment of yesterday, which is a victory for entire PDP members all over. Nobody can claim victory of the judgment of the court. It is a judgment against impunity, against illegality, we promote unity and peace and cohesion of the party.
“Having said that, the party did not overlook the activities of some members of NWC, who have already decided to cause disaffection in the party, that has made most of our leaders, most of our governors, leave the party in droves. I would say that this is time to arrest such situation and call it to order.
“On this note, after emergency meeting, we decided, as a party, to suspend Ambassador Illiya Damagum, the National Chairman of the party, for incompetence, misappropriation of party funds, and disobedience, fragile disobedience of court judgments.
“For instance, the former National Vice-Chairman of the South-East, who has been expelled by the party, which was even confirmed as a judgment of yesterday, continued to hide under the National Vice-Chairman because of his personal interests, against the interests of the entire party in the country, to keep him as a member of NWC, which has nullified every meeting, both the National Working Committee meetings, which he was a part of. Court nullified those things, and this is an abuse of his office. So, on that note, we decided that we should suspend him for one month, and we will send him to the Discplinary Committee, for him to be able to answer questions, pending the time he is out of his suspension.
“Secondly, we have overwhelming evidences against the National Public Secretary. All of you are pressmen, we have seen the frequent press releases by the National Public Secretary, Honorable Debo Ologunagba, which was confirmed that even at the point, the then-National Vice-Chairman suspended him for appearing or defending the party because of frequent press releases. For us to have sanity in the party, we have suspended him.
“Thirdly, we have looked at Ambassador Arapaja, who also has joined as the Deputy National Chairman South, who is supposed to have advised the National Chairman, on such anti-party activities, and reckless activities, which is unwarranted of a party chairman. On that note, he is also suspended for 30 days.
“Now, we talk about the National Financial Secretary. We have discovered that in the last few days, few months, there have been congresses, sale of forms, meant for our congresses, which were bought, having been paid in two different accounts, which was controlled by the National Financial Secretary. So on this note, he has been suspended, and we are sending him to the Disciplinary Committee, and we are also going to involve the financial agencies, to look into those activities.
“Again, the youth leader, the youth wing is a strong organ of this party. The youth all over, if you watched yesterday, the youth leaders all over the country met and said that they don’t want Mohamed Kandede to be their youth leader again, because he has never activated the youth wing of our party, and that wing has been abandoned and for that reason, he has also been suspended for one month.
“Finally, the Deputy National Secretary, who is supposed to be my deputy, is also suspended for one month. He resumed the office of the National Secretary illegal, signed all kinds of letters, especially to some states, where he has caused disaffection against our party, amongst our party members in those states. For that reason, he has also been suspended for 30 days.
“All of them are sent to the Discplinary Committee to show cause why they should not be expelled from the party. Having said that, ladies and gentlemen, the party is strong. We still believe in the party.
“We believe in the party, and strongly believe that the party. As a matter of fact, we are strong as a party. We are united.
“The judgment of yesterday confirmed the reason why this suspension should be effective. In their place, especially the National Chairman, we are asking the National Vice-Chairman, North Central, to act as National Chairman. In the place of the National Public Secretary, we are going to ask the Director of Publicity of our party, Chinwen Nnorom, to take over all the activities of the party in terms of information.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, this is the outcome of our emergency meeting which we had today. Unfortunately, the National Legal Advisor is in Canada, where he has gone for the International Bar Conference. We had just a Zoom meeting with him, and he is in tandem with this communique. Thank you very much, and God bless you.”
Meanwhile, former governor of Ekiti state, Ayo Fayose, has congratulated PDP new National Chairman, urging him to unite the party.
Fayose, who urged the new national chairman to urgently bring peace and unity to the party, said there was no better time to have a new direction for the party than now.
Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed, who is also the Sadaunan Takushara, emerged Acting National Chairman of the PDP, owing to the suspension of the Chairman, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum.
Fayose stated further: ” the PDP was in dire need of a new direction, and the new Acting National Chairman should step in immediately to provide it.
“I congratulate the new chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Mohammed Abdulrahman. I urge him to unite the party and restore confidence in its members.
“Most importantly, he should look into the shenanigans and injustice done in States like Ekiti and others with a view to correcting them in accordance with the party constitution and existing court pronouncements.
“He should also be a team player and ensure the emergence of a new National Working Committee through a valid National Convention, which should be done immediately after outstanding congresses are held in states and zones, and those done against court judgements are revisited,” Fayose said.
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