LEADERS, governors and founding fathers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday scrambled to save the party from factionalisation as two groups claim its leadership.
Both the party’s Governor’s Forum and its Board of Trustees (BoT) emphasised on Friday that there was no faction within its fold.
The leadership crisis rocking the party worsened with a gale of suspensions announced on Friday by two factions within the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
A faction had suspended the Acting National Chairman of the party, Umar Damagum, and the party’s National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, from office, for alleged disloyalty to the party and announced Ahmed Yayari from Gombe State as Damagum’s replacement.
Another faction of the NWC, aligned with Damagum, also announced the suspension of the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, and the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, for alleged disloyalty to the party.
Chairman of the party’s Governors’ Forum, who is also the governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir, while receiving Damagum on Friday at the Government House, Bauchi, declared that there was no faction in the party.
Bala Mohammed is believed to be leading a force within the party determined to oust Damagum while some other governors led by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State are backing the embattled party chairman.
In a surprise twist, Damagum rushed to meet with his ‘enemy’, the Bauchi State governor, on Friday.
Sources said Damagum’s visit to the governor likely followed interventions from certain founding fathers and leaders of the partly who realised the implications of not nipping the crisis in the bud.
Governor Bala Mohammed emerged from the closed-door meeting with Damagum and maintained that the party remained intact and capable of addressing its internal crises.
“I would say that we have met and discussed these situations extensively with the Acting National Chairman and we have agreed to work together along with other party organs–the BOT, the members of the Governors’ Forum, the Caucus of the Senate and the House of Representatives to resolve all these issues and that is the major takeaway of this visit,” he said.
Bala Mohammed gave the assurance that the parry would deepen stockholdings and collaboration to address every issue in the party.
He described as perceptions, allegations of party disloyalty levelled against Damagum and a reported plan to remove him (Governor Mohammed) as chairman of the party’s Governors’ Forum, saying, “These are just manifestations because of body language.”
Bala Mohammed stressed that: “We have discussed everything on relationships and interrelations and disagreements and we have decided that henceforth, we will not allow gaps.”
He regretted his disagreement with Damagum, saying it had been costly on both sides.
“I took a position that was against him and certainly you are going to have these disparaging manifestations that we have now decided henceforth we will not allow,” he said.
“We are not recognising any faction. We are together as a party and we will definitely resolve all our issues. There is no faction in the PDP. That is the benefit of doubt that Damgum has done to me by coming and agreeing that we should do that.
“The final decision does not rest on the two of us but other members that are stakeholders within the PDP Governors’ Forum, within the BOT and within the caucus and other stakeholders in the party,” he added.
Damagun had led PDP chairmen from six northeastern states on the visit to Governor Bala Mohammed.
The delegation, comprising PDP chairmen from Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe and Borno states, met with Governor Bala Mohammed to discuss the challenges facing the party and explore ways to strengthen its structures in the region and in the country.
During the visit, Ambassador Damagum emphasised the importance of unity within the party, stating that the meeting addressed critical issues and reinforced the PDP’s position in the country.
Governor Mohammed expressed gratitude for the visit, reaffirming his commitment to supporting the PDP and its leadership.
He pledged the Forum’s continuous backing of the party’s NWC and its efforts to move the party forward.