A former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has lashed out at the suspended Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagum, for his alleged role in the current crisis affecting the party across the country.
Fayose emphasized that the crisis in the PDP is self-inflicted, accusing the national leadership under Damagum of leading the party into disarray by ignoring the constitution and established guidelines.
The former governor spoke to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, on Sunday while reacting to Saturday’s fallout at the National Working Committee (NWC), where there were suspensions and counter-suspensions of executives, splitting the party into two factions.
While Damagum and his team announced the suspension of National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu and others, the group led by Anyanwu also suspended Damagum and others, appointing Alhaji Muhammed Abdulrahman as the new acting president.
Fayose, who accused Damagum of causing confusion and crisis within the party, urged the helmsman to unite the leaders and ensure the holding of prominent congresses in the states before planning to hold the national convention.
Fayose lamented the turn of events in the party and warned that he would do his best to resist attempts by some people, including governors, to hijack the party.
According to him, the PDP has suffered irreparable damage and its leaders, including governors, left the party to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring that Taraba, Bayelsa and other state governors would soon abandon the PDP.
He maintained that Damagum’s suspension was long overdue and that his dismissal would lay the groundwork for the repositioning of the PDP in the country.
He said: “We are happy to have a new acting national president, Alhaji Muhammed Abdurrahman, who emerged on Saturday as a result of the trust reposed in him after the suspension of the former president. As you may remember, this is the same way the Iyorchia Ayu crisis began and this former president, Damagum, will follow Ayu’s path, I can assure you.”
On whether the party can emerge from the current schisms, Fayose added: “Let me simply say that the PDP is in a coma, on life support. Not until someone is responding to medication, one could say there is hope. In this case, the PDP is in a coma, with no hope of survival.”
“His last service to the party was before the suspension. He is not returning to that position as president. He was not supposed to be the president in the first place; he just represented an interregnum, but he manipulated the process to become president and caused a lot of confusion.
“It caused so much confusion everywhere and you realize that the party could not even maintain the CNE for a long time. This shows that the man, Damagum, has been incompetent, he does not have what it takes and he stole that position and is acting in that capacity.
“Therefore, we want to appeal to the new interim president, assuring him of the cooperation of all party members, asking him to reposition the party, asking him to make all necessary corrections in the state chapters before any convention.
“I want to tell you that Abdulrahman must come of age and help the party’s dwindling image and hold congresses as necessary in all state chapters to be held as directed by the court of law.
They are not obeying their own constitution. They are not following due process. Like in the southwest, someone wants to control all the state chapters without allowing congresses to be held and you say you are looking for peace; “You will never find peace.”