PDP National Chairmanship Not Matter Of Life and Death For Me. Says Damagum

Embattled Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Illya Umar Damagum, has said the struggle to continue to stay in office was not a matter of life and death for him.

But despite the outcome of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party on Thursday, the party leadership has slated another NEC for August 15, during which intends to elect a substantive national chairman of the party.

Also, speaking on the state of the party, the chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, has urged the party to do its best to resolve the crisis in the party, saying Damagum has already overstayed his welcome in acting capacity. 

At the same time, Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, refused to stay the execution of his order barring a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, and others from attending the party’s meetings.

Curiously, the presidency, last night, said the PDP got it wrong yesterday at its NEC meeting with all the tantrums it threw against the government of President Bola Tinubu.

However, fielding questions on how he felt of the power struggle in the last few weeks, Damagum said leadership change or not would not rob him of his place in the party.

“This is not a matter of life and death. I am still an elected member of this NEC. Even if I revert to deputy national chairman, I’m still a member of NWC. The issue of surviving or not does not emerge,” he said.

On his part, the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Bala Muhammed, while speaking on the outcome of the NEC, said, “You can see there was no dissension and rancour. 

“It was planned that the party will have an implosion. PDP is more than that. We have gone beyond all these idiosyncracries. This party is a united party that is guided by experience and constitutionality.

“There were a lot of permutations and mischievous thinking outside there. But we looked at all the issues and we worked along our guidelines and constitution. There is no problem or dissension and problem among members.”

On choosing a new chairman from North Central, he said, “In the next two months, we will see a lot of activities. Leadership is a responsibility. 

“We said in August, we would have come out from our congresses. We will look at the issue of leadership and look at the issue of our constitution, where it will be. And we will do it with no rancour.”

Meanwhile, security was tight at yesterday’s NEC as over two kilometres to the PDP secretariat in Wuse Zone 5 was cordoned off by policemen under the supervision of the FCT Commissioner for Police, Beneath Igwe.

From the junction of Ibro Hotel to the famous Julius Berger junction was cordoned off.

The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, arrived venue of the meeting with a motorcycle outrider followed by two guns mounted by Police and National Civil Security Defence Corp in a Lexus jeep with registration FCT 001