The former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has supported the controversial suspension of Umar Damagum as the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
BACKGROUND
On Saturday, the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) led by Damagum suspended Samuel Anyanwu, the national secretary; Kamaldeen Ajibade, national legal adviser; Okechukwu Osuoha, deputy legal adviser; and Umaru Bature, national organising secretary, over alleged anti-party activities.
Debo Ologunagba, the party’s spokesperson, announced the suspensions at a press conference, following an emergency NWC meeting in Abuja.
However, hours later, Anyanwu’s faction, reportedly backed by Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), retaliated by suspending Damagum, Ologunagba, Taofeek Arapaja (deputy national vice-chairman, south), Daniel Woyenguikoro (national financial secretary), Sulaiman Kadade (national youth leader), and Setonji Koshoedo (deputy national secretary).
Anyanwu subsequently announced Mohammed Abdulrahman, the national vice-chairman (north-central), as acting national chairman.
‘THERE’S NO HOPE FOR PDP’
Speaking on Sunday in Ado Ekiti, Fayose described the PDP as a party “on the verge of extinction.”
“There is no hope of PDP coming back for now. Even the captains of our boats are jumping ship. They are jumping from one bed to another. So who is going to hold the party together? PDP has reasonably gone into extinction, unfortunately,” he said.
He added that the Damagum-led NWC had acted as “undertakers” rather than reformers.
“The Damagum-led national working committee are undertakers. They have come to bury the party. It will interest you that they are going in less than one month or two; they are still suspending and counter-suspending,” Fayose noted.
However, the former governor expressed cautious optimism about the new leadership under Abdulrahman, saying he could “turn the tables around.”
“But you never can tell. You can find a doctor in Abdulrahman who is willing to turn the tables around for the party… That’s why I said earlier that he should go and rescue this party,” he added.
Fayose also declared that Damagum would not return as national chairman, comparing his situation to that of Iyorchia Ayu, who was suspended and later sacked by the court.
“You will recall this is the same way PDP former chairman, Iyorchia Ayu’s crisis started. Damagun will go the way of Ayu, I can assure you… Damagun is not going to return as chairman to that office,” he stated.
He criticised Damagum for allegedly manipulating his way into the position and plunging the PDP into deeper chaos.
“He only represented an interregnum, but manipulated the process to become the chairman and caused so much confusion… It shows that the man, Damagum, has been incompetent; he does not have what it takes to operate in that office,” Fayose added.
He urged Abdulrahman to focus on restoring unity and stability within the crisis-ridden opposition party.