Politics
PDP Crisis: Senator Moro knock lawmakers calling for resignation of acting National Chairman, Damagun
Senator representing Benue South Senatorial District and Senate Minority Leader, Comrade Abba Patrick Moro PhD, has described the call for resignation of PDP acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Lliya Damagum as ill-timed and inappropriate. Senator Moro was reacting to the call for Amb. Damagum’s resignation by Member representing Ideato Federal Constituency in Imo State, Hon. Ugochinyere Ikenga who accused the National Chairman of working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and his failure to call a National Executive Council (NEC) since he replaced Senator Iyorchia Ayu as the PDP National Chairman.
Reacting to the call on Saturday, Senator Moro said the call was a personal opinion of Hon. Ugochinyere as it does not reflect the opinion of PDP federal lawmakers, especially PDP Senators. He said the call coming few days to the long-awaited and most anticipated NEC meeting of the party was a needless ruffling of feathers.
On the scheduled NEC meeting, Senator Moro said it would afford members of the NEC to ventilate their opinions on the goings on in the party. He said they were looking forward to a very robust discussion on the issues concerning the party and Nigeria in the meeting.
On the seat of the National Chairman of the party, the senator said the issue was a very crucial one. He averred that there was no basis for anyone to suggest that the seat be thrown open or zoned to any other region apart from North Central. He said PDP had a constitution, the grand norm of its existence, which provides for two deputy Chairmen. He said where there’s vacancy, the deputy chairman of the zone where the embattled National Chairman comes from will act. He said he didn’t subscribe to any call for the seat to be thrown open or zoned to any region aside North Central. He counseled that if the party must regain its lost glory and remain formidable as the biggest political party in Africa, then NEC members must go into the next meeting with some level of circumspection so that the baby is not thrown away with the bath water.
Commenting on APC government, Senator Moro said the strange bedfellows that seized power in 2015 seem not to know what to do with power. He said everything had gone haywire in the country. According to him, everything about governance in the country at the moment is wrong.
“Nigerians are hurting. The cost of living is so high that Nigerians cannot afford two-square meal in a day. Even the reported appreciation of the naira against the dollar, which is a mind game being played on Nigerians by the APC government, has no impact on the prices of things in the market. Things are getting worse by the day and in the face of this grinding suffering, the government has gone ahead to increase electricity tariff. I think this is height of insensitivity,” he lamented.
On opposition politics, Senator Moro said it was unfair to say that PDP has not been playing opposition politics. According to him, “Opposition is not fighting. We are not going to war with ourselves but we have been voicing out the ills of the APC government.”
On disciplinary measures against erring members of the party, Senator Moro said NEC would not sit in Abuja and compile names of members who acted in ways and manners that undermined the party in the last elections.
“Relevant organs of the party have relevant responsibilities to discharge to the party. NEC cannot sit in Abuja and write names of party member A or B that acted to undermine the party in the last elections, that’s the duty of the various ward EXCOs,” he said.
Senator Moro expressed optimism that PDP would come out in the next election reclaiming its winning ways. He said members only needed to sit down and reflect on the way forward to reclaiming the lost glory of the party.
Former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the 2023 general election, Adewole Adebayo said, God has told him that the party will produce the next president in 2027 general election.
Speaking over the weekend in Abeokua when he met the members and executive who were led by the State Chairman, Yinka Ola-Williams, said he could confirm that a President of SDP will mount Aso Rock villa in 2027.
“One thing that God is telling me is that there will be an SDP president in the villa in 2027.
“For the first time in a long time, we will have people who care for the people. Let’s remain focused. The problems of Nigeria are our problems, not individuals.
“We are not against Tinubu as a person but we are against hunger, inflation, poverty, insecurity, unemployment. That’s what we are against,” he said.
Buttressing Adebayo’s position on modalities of joining the party, the SDP Chairman in Ogun State, Mr. Yinka Ola-Williams, disowned 30,000 membership cards and registers allegedly being flaunted by one of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirants in the 2023 governorship election in the State.
Ola-Williams said the party’s door is widely opened to anybody who wants to join, but such a person or group, no matter how highly placed, must follow the procedure as laid down in the party’s constitution.
He emphatically stated that the party had nothing to do with the membership cards and registers claimed by the aspirant, who said he got them from the party’s National Secretariat.
“We want people to join us, and we want to work together to provide a better government than what we have now that will remove poverty, provide a better healthcare system for people, improve education and all.
“But not that they come to the party, hijack the party and take the structure away. That’s what we will not agree,” Ola-Williams said.
Barrister Adewole Adebayo, the 2023 Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 general election, apprehensive of massive defection to the party urged defectors to go through legitimate route and due process.
Speaking over the weekend in Abeokuta, Adebayo when he met with SDP members and executive members led by the State Chairman, Yinka Ola-Williams, said the party is open to defectors, but they must do so legitimately.
Flanked by the former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, the former presidential candidate allayed fears that defectors may hijack the party, stressing that the National Working Committee of SDP can only issue membership cards through the executive at the state levels.
He said, “People are counterfeiting naira, they are counterfeiting the dollar, they’re bringing counterfeit rice, and NAFDAC is chasing counterfeit drugs. Why are you surprised that there are counterfeit party cards? Especially if the party cards are carried by counterfeit politicians who have a history of doing counterfeiting in their former parties. So, we should forgive everybody, but this counterfeiting will not work in SDP.”
“We are not fighting anybody we are only saying ‘come to our house through the front door not through the ceiling or the window.’ That’s all. Everybody here joined the party legitimately, anybody coming will join legitimately”.
“We have spoken to the National Chairman and the NWC, he said there’s no counterfeiting of anything. Any card that’s not given through the state, LG and executives is not from the SDP. So, if they come, you will tell them to go away. Put your name in our register here and pay us here. We will get the card for you. That’s how it is”.
“They want to run faster than their legs. Secondly, you are hearing rumors that people are coming to our party, Awolowo is coming, Azikiwe is coming, Balewa, Ahmadu Bello is coming. Let’s see them. Nigerians know us and they know them.”
He ruled out any plan that SDP would merge or collaborate with the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC or any political party ahead of 2027 general election.
According to him, SDP is committed to the well-being and welfare of Nigerians, while he ruled out insinuations that the party is an appendage of APC.
“Maybe APC has appendicitis; they should go to the hospital to kill it. We are a strong party. We are older than any of the parties available. Our mission is clear: we are not in government with them.
“I led the party in the last election. I’m still standing here. I’m not a minister under Tinubu; all the state chairman and the national chairman are intact, including the national secretary. So, we are standing on our own.
“The reason people look down on us is because we don’t attack people, but we tackle issues because our party is a party of intellect. We are the only party that’s a little to the left. Having been a little to the left since we came in 1989, we remain so.
“The problems of Nigeria can only be found with solutions on the left, which is that chapter two of the Constitution, invest money in education, in housing, in healthcare, good infrastructure, let Nigerians live what chief Obafemi Awolowo called a life more abundant,” he said.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has expressed his heartfelt condolences to the Governor of Katsina State, Malam Dikko Umar Radda, over the passing of his mother, Hajiya Safarau Umar Baribari.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Edwin Olofu, Dr. Ganduje described Hajiya Safarau’s death as a profound loss that has left a deep void in the hearts of her family, friends, and the people of Katsina State.
Extending his sympathies, the APC National Chairman condoled with Governor Radda, the bereaved family, and the entire people of Katsina State during this difficult time.
He acknowledged the remarkable contributions of the late Hajiya Safarau and prayed for Almighty Allah (SWT) to grant her eternal rest in Jannatul Firdaus while strengthening the family to bear this irreplaceable loss.
Dr. Ganduje urged Governor Radda and others affected to find comfort in the cherished memories and enduring legacy of the deceased.
Reaffirming the APC’s support, the former Kano State governor assured the people of Katsina State of the party’s solidarity in their time of grief and prayed that Allah (SWT) grant the departed soul Al-Jannah Firdaus. Ameen.
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