….Party’s NWC keeps mum

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA — SOME aggrieved leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have renewed calls for replacing its acting chairman, Ambassador Iliya Damagun, accusing him of plans to destabilise the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the crisis within the PDP continues to fester.

The aggrieved party leaders, who raised concerns over Damagum’s prolonged tenure, factionalism, and failure to address anti-party activities, warned that the party’s future may be at risk.

A bigwig of the PDP, who is familiar with the workings of the party, accused Damagun of causing division within the party and failing to take action against those working against the party.

The PDP leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “As a concerned senior PDP member, I’m worried about the way things are going under Ambassador Damagum’s leadership. He’s been the acting chairman since March 2023, but the position should have gone to someone from the North Central zone by now. People are feeling sidelined, and it’s causing division. On top of that, he hasn’t taken action against those working against the party, and now we’re seeing members leave for the APC and Labour Party.”

The source further highlighted the worsening factionalism between the camps of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, which has paralysed the party’s leadership and hindered its ability to present a united opposition.

“The Atiku and Wike division is getting worse, making it impossible for the leadership to function properly. It’s hurting our image and stopping us from standing together as a strong opposition to the Tinubu regime,” the source added.

Another party leader, who expressed worry over the ongoing legal disputes on party positions, said it has distracted the PDP from focusing on its 2027 electoral strategy.

“The several court cases over the party secretaryship have just kept us stuck longer than necessary. Instead of planning for the next election, we’re busy dealing with in-house drama. Damagum’s lack of decisive leadership is only making things worse. If we don’t fix this, we might not recover before the 2027 general elections,” the party leader noted.

Speaking on the matter, former National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, echoed these concerns.

Ologbondiyan, in a chat with Vanguard in Abuja, said: “I had always called for the replacement of Damagum with a substantive chairman from the North Central. His continued stay in office would lead to more crises in the party, and that exactly is what is happening.”

When asked about developments behind the scenes that may be undermining the party’s stability, the former party spokesperson said: “Several issues on this matter are in the public space.”

Party’s NWC keeps mum

Efforts to reach the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, for comment were unsuccessful, as his phone number was not reachable.

Vanguard learned that he is currently out of the country.