PDP crisis deepens: Mohammed takes charge, demands swift action

• Ayu’s successor: North Central must decide, says PDP youth leader
• Fayose denies chairmanship bid, distances self from party’s ‘drama’

The leadership crisis within the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has deepened, with the factional Acting National Chairman, Yayari Ahmed Mohammed, officially accepting his appointment.

Mohammed also urged the party’s North Central caucus to promptly nominate a candidate for the substantive chairman position.

This nomination will be presented to the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) for adoption at its next meeting, scheduled for October 24, 2024.

“In line with our party’s constitution, the North Central Zone is entitled to produce a replacement to serve out the tenure of the former National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu,” Mohammed said. “The zone is requested to urgently meet and forward its nominee to my office for the necessary preparation and presentation to NEC for consideration and approval at its meeting on October 24, 2024.”

In a statement released by Debo Ologunagba, the suspended national publicity secretary, Mohammed expressed his commitment to restoring the PDP to constitutional order.

The faction led by Umar Damagum suspended Ologunagba last week.

Mohammed, who has been acting National Chairman for four days, emphasised the importance of the upcoming NEC meeting.

He said, “The National Working Committee (NWC), under my leadership, will strictly adhere to the party’s constitution. I will be fair to all members, regardless of their status, position, or state within the party. This is the only way to guarantee loyalty and commitment from our members.”

He further outlined his primary goal: “My focus is to restore confidence by immediately initiating the process for the long-overdue NEC meeting scheduled for Thursday, October 24, 2024.”

Mohammed appealed to party members, saying: “I seek the cooperation, support, and advice of my NWC colleagues, all party organs, especially the PDP Governors’ Forum, the Board of Trustees, the National Assembly Caucus, as well as leaders, stakeholders, and members, to ensure a successful NEC meeting.”

He expressed regret that the PDP has not been able to effectively fulfil its role as an opposition party, attributing this to internal conflicts. “We must admit that we have not satisfactorily performed the critical role expected of a strong opposition in a democracy,” he said. “This is due to conflicts of interest — personal or political — being placed above the party’s interests. This has had a detrimental effect on our ability to perform effectively at various levels, particularly at the national level.”

Mohammed concluded, “This situation continues to affect the party’s performance and viability. Nigerians admire the PDP and look to us because of our robust constitution and the monumental achievements during our 16 years in government — a period often remembered with nostalgia as the golden years of governance in Nigeria.”

THIS came as Austin Okai, the National Coordinator of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Youth Frontier, asserted that the selection of Ayu’s successor should involve the entire North Central region, not just Benue State.

In a press briefing yesterday, Okai maintained that the successor should emerge from any of the states within the North Central zone and criticised the narrow focus on specific political figures from Benue, such as Senators David Mark, Gabriel Suswam, and Emmanuel Agbo.

“This important role belongs to the entire North Central zone,” Okai argued. “States like Kwara, Kogi, Niger, and Nasarawa should also be considered. There are competent and qualified leaders from these states who can lead the PDP to greater heights.”

He highlighted notable figures like former Senate President Bukola Saraki from Kwara State, former Minister of Culture and Tourism Humphrey Abba, and former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Philip Salawu, as potential candidates. Okai also mentioned Maibasira from Niger State and David Ombugadu from Nasarawa State as capable individuals deserving consideration.

Okai firmly believes that the North Central PDP leadership should have a decisive role in selecting the next national chairman. “No one can nominate Ayu’s successor without the full input of the North Central zone’s leadership. This is not a decision for Benue alone,” he stressed.

He reminded the public that Benue’s leadership suspended Ayu and should not feel entitled to retain the position without a fair and inclusive process. “The suspension of Ayu was a decision made by the people of Benue, and they were fully present when this arrangement was set in motion. Their involvement in the process should be reconsidered. We need fresh leadership that can rescue the party and steer it in the right direction,” Okai declared.

Okai also pointed out that Benue already holds significant leadership positions within the party, such as Senator Abba Moro, who serves as the Senate minority Leader, and Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State, a key North Central leader within the PDP.

He concluded by emphasising that the selection of Ayu’s successor should involve critical stakeholders from the entire North Central zone and not be influenced by individuals outside the region.

MEANWHILE, former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has clarified that he is not seeking the position of National Chairman of the PDP.

He also distanced himself from a media report falsely claiming he had declared himself PDP chairman and announced the suspension of party leaders.

Fayose addressed the inaccurate report via his account on X (formerly Twitter), stating that any stories not explicitly mentioning his full name, “Peter Ayodele Fayose,” should be disregarded, as many others have the same surname in Nigeria.

In his post, he said: “I dissociate myself from media reports linking me with any self-declaration as Chairman of the PDP and suspension of the likes of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Governors Wike, Makinde, etc., from the party.

“As of today, Ambassador Umar Damagum is the chairman of the PDP, and I’m not aspiring to be chairman of the party.

“It is also important for the public to note that I’m not the only Fayose in Nigeria; there are many others. I am Peter Ayodele Fayose. As such, stories that do not clearly state my name should be disregarded and treated as stories from any of the many other Fayoses in Nigeria.

“The public should, therefore, endeavour to read the content of news stories, not just the headlines.”

Fayose also emphasised that he is not interested in any political office and is not involved in the ongoing internal conflicts within the PDP.

“Most importantly, I’m not part of the drama in the party and will never be. I am also not interested in any political office, either appointed or elective,” he added.

This clarification came amid several suspensions and counter-suspensions within the PDP’s NWC. One faction suspended the National Legal Adviser and National Publicity Secretary for alleged disloyalty, while another faction retaliated by suspending the acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and the National Secretary.

However, the Abuja Federal High Court has issued an order preventing the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) from removing Damagum as Acting National Chairman until the party’s national convention scheduled for December next year.