The leadership crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reached a critical point, with governors elected on the party’s platform scheduled to meet tomorrow to discuss possible resolutions.
The internal turmoil escalated on Friday when the party’s national leadership splintered into two factions, one led by Yayari Ahmed Mohammed and the other by acting National Chairman Iliya Umar Damagum.
The factional split followed the suspension of PDP’s National Legal Adviser, Adeyemi Ajibade, and National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, by a faction of the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Damagum.
In response, another faction led by Ologunagba countered by announcing the suspension of Damagum and the party’s National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, citing various complaints against them.
In a surprising turn, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja issued a restraining order on Friday, preventing Damagum’s removal as acting national chairman until December 2025. The ruling came just hours after his suspension was made public, throwing the party further into disarray.
The PDP had previously scheduled a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting for October 24 to elect a new national chairman to complete the tenure of former chairman Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.
Damagum was expected to revert to his original role as National Vice Chairman (North) after the election. However, the recent events have cast uncertainty over these plans.
According to THISDAY, the PDP governors are now considering multiple options to resolve the crisis.
One possibility is for the NEC to dissolve the entire NWC and appoint a caretaker committee to run the party’s affairs until December 2025, when the current NWC’s tenure expires.
Another option would involve returning to the status quo, allowing the October 24 NEC meeting to proceed as planned to elect Ayu’s successor.
Sources suggest that Damagum, who was briefing Bauchi State Governor and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Bala Mohammed, about the NWC meeting when his suspension was announced, may not have initiated the court case. He is reportedly not expected to use the court order to obstruct peace efforts.
Tensions have further escalated as one senior PDP officer allegedly ordered the offices of suspended officials Ajibade and Ologunagba to be broken into and their keys changed, though the directive had not yet been carried out.
Some party leaders expressed discomfort with the idea, questioning the urgency and motive behind the move, especially since the office of former National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu remains untouched.
Meanwhile, new allegations against Damagum have surfaced, including claims that he exceeded his financial limits by donating N35 million, far beyond his authorized N10 million limit to flood victims in Maiduguri, Borno State, without prior approval from the NWC.
With the October 24 NEC meeting fast approaching, the PDP governors’ meeting tomorrow will be crucial in determining how the party navigates this growing leadership crisis.