PDP suspends national chairman, secretary

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suspended its acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, over alleged anti-party activities.

The Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, disclosed this in a statement issued in the early hours of Friday.

There have been several allegations of anti-party against Messrs Damagun and Anyanwu which prompted members of the party to call for their suspension from their. positions.

Mr Damagun, at different fora, had denied the allegations, saying that his tenure as party chairman would help the party get back to power.

But, in the statement issued by the party’s spokesperson, the NWC members unanimously considered the anti-party allegations against Messrs Damagun and Anyanwu.

“The National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP has extensively considered the series of complaints raised against the Acting National Chairman, Amb. Illiya Damagum and National Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu particularly with regard to the letter addressed by them to the Court of Appeal in Appeal No:CA/PH/307/2024 against the party’s position in the case involving the 27 former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who vacated their seats upon decamping from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“The NWC condemned this anti-party activity of the Acting National Chairman and the National Secretary which is in gross violation of the provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017) and their Oath of Office,” he said.

Mr Ologunagba said the allegations are contrary to the provision of the party’s constitution and subsequently, the NWC decided to inaugurate a National Disciplinary Committee for further action against the two officials.

He said Messrs Damagum and Anyanwu have been suspended from all meetings of the PDP pending the outcome of the disciplinary committee.

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“Consequently, the NWC, pursuant to Sections 57, 58 and 59 of the PDP Constitution, has suspended Amb. Illiya Damagum and Sen. Samuel Anyanwu as Acting National Chairman and National Secretary of the Party, respectively, and referred them to the National Disciplinary Committee for further action.

“In the meantime, the two officials are suspended from all meetings, activities and programs of the NWC pending the conclusion of an investigation by the National Disciplinary Committee.”

Call for removal

Mr Damagum assumed office as the acting chairman of the PDP in 2023 after Iyorchia Ayu, who hails from Benue State, was suspended by his ward and a subsequent court order asking him to stop parading himself as chairman.

He was appointed in line with the constitution of the party, which states that the deputy national chairman of the party from the zone of the national chairman takes over in an acting capacity when the latter is removed or suspended.

Mr Damagun, who hails from Yobe State in the North-east, is believed to be an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who mobilised four other governors of the party against Mr Ayu, who threw his support for Atiku Abubakar as the party presidential candidate in the 2023 election.

Sometime this year, about 60 members of the PDP in the House of Representatives called for the removal of Mr Damagun as the acting chairman and be replaced with a substantive chairman from the North-central.

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In April, Mr Damagun survived alleged moves to oust him during the party’s NEC meeting.

Dino Melaye, a former senator and PDP candidate of the last governorship election in Kogi State, has also criticised Mr Damagun and two national officers of the party for alleged anti-party activities.

Mr Melaye was thereafter suspended by his ward for alleged anti-party activities shortly after the criticism.