A group of opposition lawmakers has claimed that certain governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), along with the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and state chairmen, are collaborating to keep the acting national chairman, Umar Damagum, in power until 2027, to weaken the party.
During a press conference held on Sunday in Akokwa, Imo State, the coalition’s spokesperson, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere revealed that part of their strategy involved maintaining Damagum’s position and securing endorsements from PDP state chairmen for President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
Ugochinyere criticized the PDP leadership, stating that despite the various challenges facing the nation, the party, which should be leading the opposition, has been overtaken by political opportunists and has become merely an “errand platform for the ruling party.”
He also alleged that the national leaders of the PDP were frolicking with the leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), stating that they were traveling to London to hold meetings with the APC leadership.
Ugochinyere said, “You have a national chairman and a secretary who in 24 hours are in Nyesom Wike’s bedroom, a minister in the APC government.
“At a time when Nigeria is facing a serious crisis, our opposition is now in the bedroom of the ruling party.
“Today, I want to inform the whole Nigeria that they have perfected a plan to ensure that the NEC meeting to choose a chairman from North-central, where the position is originally supposed to come from, is not possible.
“They want Umar Damagum, an imposter of the highest order, to continue to parade as the national chairman and stay in office till 2027 so they can foist on us a weakling that will be presidential candidate.
“We have impostors among us, who have no honour and decency. They have decided to kill the political party. The ruling party will be laughing at them now that they want to sabotage their own party”.
Ugochinyere further claimed that the national leaders were always inventing excuses to delay the NEC meeting.
“First, they said there was a Sallah holiday and they shifted it. Since last year they kept on shifting the NEC meeting. Till now, no NEC meeting, they keep on giving different excuses.”
Recall that at the main opposition party’s 98th NEC meeting on April 18, it fixed August 15 to resolve all lingering issues, but unfortunately, it was postponed and rescheduled for October 24.
The proposed NEC meeting, which was meant to present a substantive National Chairman that would take over from Damagum was further shifted from October 24 to November 28.
However, for the umpteenth time, the party on Friday postponed the NEC meeting from November 28 to a date yet to be announced.
