Ahead of the scheduled National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja on Thursday, concerned groups within the party are urging the Party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), PDP Governors Forum, and the National Working Committee (NWC) to bar Atiku Abubakar and Nyesom Wike from attending.
The groups believe that excluding these two individuals could play a role in restoring sanity and political stability within the party. They call on the BoT and PDP Governors Forum to promptly intervene in addressing the ongoing political crisis that poses a threat to the unity and stability of the party.
In a joint statement, the PDP Northern Professionals Movement and PDP Elders Support Group, together with stakeholders from 22 Northern States who met in Kaduna, also voiced their disagreement with the demands for the removal of acting chairman Usman Iliya Damagum. They argue that since the case of suspended chairman Iyorcha Ayu is still in court, Damagum, serving as Deputy Chairman of the North in an acting capacity, should continue in his role until the court resolves Ayu’s situation or Ayu voluntarily resigns.
Leaders of these groups, Mr. Isaac Samuel and Dr. Muazzam Lawal Sadauki, expressed disappointment over the online attacks targeting Damagum’s character and the PDP’s NWC by certain social media users. They maintained confidence in the party’s leadership, asserting that despite the abandonment of the party post-2023 elections by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, the party remains resilient.
Noting that these tensions arise from self-serving individuals attempting to unconstitutionally seize control of the party, the statement emphasized the need for party leaders to identify and address underlying issues to restore peace and unity within the PDP.