Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has gone into extinction and there is no hope in sight for the party.
This is as he declared support for the faction of the PDP led by the PDP National Vice Chairman (North Central), Mohammed Abdulrahman, who was chosen as the party’s Acting National Chairman by his factional colleagues.
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, Fayose submitted that the Umar Damagum-led National Working Committee of the PDP have no good intention for the party and are only out to bury the PDP.
According to him, the PDP has no hope of returning to power in 2027 as many of its members are defecting to other parties and there is nobody ready to work on putting the party back together.
He said, “The party needs a leader who can reunite everybody at this time. So, I congratulate Abdulrahman, and I want to assure all party members that it is a new beginning. There is no hope of PDP coming back for now. Even the captains of our boat are jumping ship. They are moving from one bed to another. So, who is going to hold the party together?
“PDP has reasonably gone into extinction, unfortunately. The Damagum-led National Working Committee are undertakers — they have come to bury the party. It will interest you that they are leaving in less than one or two months, yet they are still suspending and counter-suspending members. But you never can tell; you may find a doctor in Abdulrahman who is willing to turn the tables around for the party. Right now, however, the party is in a coma.
“If somebody comes to the rescue and decides to save the party, as in the case of Abdulrahman, we will give him a chance. That’s why I said earlier that he should go and rescue this party. We are happy we have a new acting national chairman, Abdulrahman, who emerged yesterday (Saturday) as a result of the confidence reposed in him after the suspension of the former chairman.”
Damagun Will Not Return
Speaking further, Fayose stated that Damagun, who was suspended as the PDP National Chairman by a faction of the party, would not return to the position before his tenure expires.
He alleged that Damagum was never meant to be the PDP chairman, but only manipulated the system to claim the office.
“You will recall that this is the same way former PDP chairman Iyorchia Ayu’s crisis started. Damagum will go the way of Ayu, I can assure you. His last service to the party was before the suspension. Damagum is not going to return to that office as chairman.
“In the first place, he was not supposed to be the chairman. He only represented an interregnum but manipulated the process to become chairman and caused so much confusion everywhere. It shows that Damagum has been incompetent; he does not have what it takes to operate in that office.
“Therefore, we want to appeal to the new acting chairman, assuring him of the cooperation of all party members and urging him to reposition the party, make all necessary corrections at the state chapters, and prepare for the convention.
“After everybody must have obeyed the last court judgment that congresses must be held in all state chapters before the convention, I stand here to tell the whole world that Abdulrahman will be affirmed by the court so that there will be stability, because due process has been followed in suspending Damagum from that office.”
Naijaonpoint recalls that a fresh crisis hit the PDP on Friday when Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, stopped the party from going ahead with its planned national convention scheduled for November 15-16, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Three PDP members, Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP chairman), Amah Nnanna (Abia PDP chairman), and Turnah George (South-South PDP Secretary) had filed a suit, alleging a breach of the party’s constitution in the convention’s preparation and asked the court to stop the PDP from proceeding with the planned convention.
As part of its reaction to the court ruling, the PDP announced the suspension of senior members of the National Working Committee (NWC) who are seen as allies to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
However, the faction also announced the suspension of the PDP Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and five other members of the National Working Committee, plunging the PDP into deeper crisis.
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