Acting PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Umar Damagum_By Anthony Maliki, Abuja...READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE ▶▶
As the deadline of August 15 is less than one month for the acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Umar Damagum to step down for a substantive National Chairman, Governors from the party must ensure that the acting National Chairman must not stay beyond that date….READ FULL ARTICLE
Damagum got a Court injunction, through clandestine means, to stay beyond August 15 thereby jeopardizing the selection of a substantive National Chairman constitutionally zoned to the North-Central Geo-Political Zone.
The void followed the stepping aside of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu of the North-Central Geopolitical Zone from the helm of affairs of the party and therefore a candidate is to be selected from the same Zone to complete Senator Ayu’s tenor tenure till December, 2025.
In view of the foregoing, the party Critical Stakeholders have now urged PDP Governors to be wary of the consequences of Damagum’s continued stay in the office of the acting National Chairman, beyond 15, August 2024.
The Stakeholders say everybody must respect the Constitution of the Party which states that whenever there is a casual vacancy, such vacuum must be filled-up by a candidate from such a zone of the country that generated the casual vacancy in the first place.
The Governors are reminded that this is necessary to ensure strategic political equilibrium.
In the Balance of Power Sharing Arrangement of December 2021, the North-Central Geo-Political Zone was allocated the portfolio of the National Chairman of the party which was duly occupied by Senator Iyorchia Ayu from Benue State in the North-Central Zone.
There were however issues that led to the stepping aside of Senator Ayu while Damagum, who was and is still, the Deputy National Chairman, North, had to assume office as a temporary measure in an acting capacity pending the selection of a suitable candidate from the North Central Zone for the office of the Substantive National Chairman of the party.
The Stakeholders stated that while the North-Central Zone had been ready to resume its constitutional position, Damagum in his illegitimacy, illegality and supported by some external forces, refused to relinquish the office of the National Chairman to date. Damagum has held the party in hostage with very dire consequences.
They reminded the Governors that Damagum should not have stayed beyond six months as an acting National Chairman noting that his mission as a proxy for the external manipulators, is to continue in office as an Acting National Chairman till the next Election season of December 2025.
The PDP Governors must be aware that the external forces are interested in crippling the party, to put it in disarray, in disunity and make it impotent enough to unable it win national or state elections, the end is predictable!
They pointed out that this has some dangerous long term effects of one-party state, civilian autocracy and finally a dictatorship and must be stopped by all means.
They called on the 13 PDP State Governors to wake-up to their civic and constitutional responsibilities and rescue the party from the current hostage of Damagum and his external cohorts.
According to the Stakeholders, only the PDP 13 State Governors have the Political weight and the Financial muscle to carry out this very urgent and sensitive rescue mission.
They also noted that it is in the strategic interests of the PDP 13 State Governors for the Party to be rescued without any further delay, otherwise, they will lose their next gubernatorial elections if they are on their first terms in office, or will be unable to install successors if they are on their second and final terms.
The Stakeholders pointed out that the Nation is watching the unfolding developments in the PDP with keen interests as Effective Opposition, a key element in modern Democracy, is virtually gone in Nigeria at the moment….READ FULL ARTICLE
