Governors elected under Nigeria’s leading opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have reversed the suspension of the party’s acting National Chairman, Illiya Damagum.
The decision, made public on Tuesday, also overturned the suspension of other key party officials, including the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, and the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN.
Bala Mohammed, the Governor of Bauchi State and Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, announced this decision during a press briefing. He was accompanied by Damagum and other PDP leaders.
Mohammed emphasized that the current leadership structure would remain in place for now, despite ongoing internal disagreements. “The status quo remains for now,” he told journalists.
The PDP has recently been dealing with internal conflicts that led to a split within the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
A rival faction of the NWC had appointed Yayari Mohammed as the new acting National Chairman, claiming that Damagum’s leadership was no longer valid. This move sparked confusion and further deepened the divisions within the party.
In a statement released on Sunday, Yayari Mohammed explained the reasons behind his appointment. He said the NWC had chosen him to help rebuild the party’s strength and restore confidence among its members.
According to him, internal conflicts and competing interests among some leaders had weakened the PDP’s ability to function as a strong opposition.
Mohammed said, “This state of affairs continues to affect the performance and viability of our Party to perform its role as expected as a platform which Nigerians have come to admire and look up to in view of the robust Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017) and the monumental achievements of the Party in the sixteen years in government, which period is referred to with nostalgia as the golden years of governance in Nigeria.”
“The National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP, desirous of revamping the Party in line with the vision of its founding fathers, on Thursday, October 10, 2024 appointed me as the Acting National Chairman to lead the charge to rekindle the hope and aspiration of our teeming members especially the youths, critical stakeholders and generality of Nigerians who wish to see a political Party that is ready and willing to play the role of effective opposition in the quest to develop our democracy and seek for responsible and responsive government in our country.
“Only this will guarantee and engender loyalty and commitment of our teeming members.”
