The factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, has blamed disobedience to the party constitution and personal greed for the crisis rocking the party.
This is as he declared that he and other members of the PDP in his faction are out to resolve the lingering challenges facing the party.
Speaking on Monday during an interview appearance on Arise News, Ohuabunwa submitted that the former leaders of the PDP have lost their moral compass, but he and his faction are out to “recover and reconcile the party.”
“We got to this point for no other reason than disobedience to our own constitution. “If we had kept to our laws and obeyed our own rules, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Unfortunately, we have refused to learn our lessons,” he said.
PDP Has Been Making The Same Mistakes
Speaking further, Naijaonpoint reports that the factional BoT Chairman said the PDP is still behaving as if it is the ruling party and has failed to acknowledge its errors and make amends.
He declared that every crisis in the PDP has been about who wants to become President and therefore snowballed into a clash of ambitions, which promotes personal interests over party interests.
“Those of us who are true PDP members, who have remained committed since day one, decided to let Nigerians know what has really happened. The PDP was in power for 16 years, and when we lost in 2015, we set up the Ekweremadu Committee to find out what went wrong.
“That committee made recommendations that have never seen the light of day. We continued behaving as if we were still in power, and since then, the same mistakes have repeated themselves in 2019 and 2023.
“From the history of the PDP, every crisis has been about who wants to be president,” he said. “People leave the party, come back, and want to take the front seat immediately — even contesting the highest position.
“Our constitution clearly states that when you leave and return, you lose your seniority and start afresh. But people come back and expect to lead. That is unfair and one of the main reasons for our problems,” Ohuabunwa said.
He also blamed some of the party crisis on how the PDP leaders handled succession in the party following the exit of former National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu.
He argued that Ayu’s replacement violated the PDP’s zoning principle.
According to him, “When Ayu left, the constitution made it clear that the North Central should produce his replacement,” Ohuabunwa explained. “In the interim, Ambassador Damagum, as Deputy National Chairman (North), stepped in — but it was supposed to be temporary.
“Up till now, that replacement has not been made. Instead, the party went ahead to suspend the National Secretary, the National Organising Secretary, and the Legal Adviser — the main pillars of the party. Once you remove these key officers, the house will collapse.”
I Remain Loyal
Ohuabunwa said he remains committed to the PDP, arguing that, unlike those who defect when things don’t go their way, he has remained with the party.
He said, “I am a pioneer member of the PDP. I have never left for one day,” he declared. “Even when my state government, Abia, went under another party, I stayed with the PDP. Many of us have committed our time and resources to keeping this party afloat, but others only think of themselves.”
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