The ongoing leadership crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) escalated over the weekend with a flurry of suspensions and counter-suspensions among key members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC). This internal strife has exposed growing divisions that have lingered since the 2023 general elections, and now threatens the future of the PDP as Nigeria’s foremost opposition party......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
The crisis intensified when the NWC, led by Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum, announced the suspension of two prominent officials:
Debo Ologunagba (National Publicity Secretary)
Kamaldeen Ajibade (National Legal Adviser)
In a swift retaliation, a faction loyal to Ajibade issued its own suspension order against Damagum and Samuel Anyanwu (the National Secretary). This power tussle has created a parallel leadership structure, further threatening the unity of the PDP.
As tensions grew, Alhaji Yayari Mohammed emerged as a factional PDP National Chairman. His emergence came despite a ruling by the Abuja Federal High Court, which ordered that the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the Board of Trustees (BoT) must not remove Damagum from his role as Acting Chairman until the party’s next national convention, scheduled for December 2024.
The court also ruled that no one else should be recognized as PDP’s National Chairman before the convention. This legal stalemate has complicated efforts to resolve the leadership dispute.
In a bid to restore order, PDP governors intervened and urged all factions to maintain the status quo. This move is seen as an attempt to prevent further escalation and ensure the survival of the party, which is facing internal sabotage and defections to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Reacting to the crisis, Phrank Shaibu, Special Assistant on Public Communication to Atiku Abubakar, criticized the conduct of some PDP members. He warned that if the internal conflict persists, it could jeopardize the party’s future.
“If it’s unresolved and they allow those working for the APC to succeed with their agenda, it will result in a one-party state.”
Shaibu accused some PDP members of collaborating with the APC to sabotage the party from within:
“A group of boys went around town bragging that they were working for the APC yet remained with the party. What do you expect? Either we stop them and do the right thing or allow them to kill the PDP.”
The leadership tussle has raised concerns among political analysts about the PDP’s chances of maintaining its relevance in Nigeria’s political space. If unresolved, the internal crisis could significantly weaken the party’s ability to present a unified front ahead of future elections, leaving the APC with less opposition and possibly ushering in a one-party state.
The December 2024 convention is now a crucial milestone for the PDP, as it seeks to resolve its leadership issues and rebuild public confidence.