PDP deputy spokesman, Ugochinyere disagree over cause of party crisis

The Peoples Democratic Party National Deputy Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi, has rejected claims that the party is under the influence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, asserting that its 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is responsible for the party’s issues.

He made this statement while addressing a press conference called “Fix PDP to Fix Nigeria” in Abuja on Tuesday.

It’s worth noting that the PDP has been embroiled in crises both before and during the 2023 elections.

While some members attribute the escalating crisis to the failure of acting National Chairman Umar Damagum, an ally of Wike, to revitalize the party, others hold Atiku and other party leaders responsible.
This ongoing crisis has negatively impacted the party’s influence and popularity among many Nigerians, who previously viewed it as a viable alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Abdullahi stated that Atiku’s frequent defections to and from the PDP have dampened stakeholder support for the party, asserting that the current NWC has inherited these issues.

The PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary pointed out that one of the issues Atiku created for both the party and Nigerians was imposing a worst government under former President Muhammadu Buhari on the country.
He said, “We inherited the problems we are facing today. We are not in the pocket of Wike. Atiku Abubakar succeed in foisted the worse government in the person Buhari on us.”

“Atiku come and go, despite the people’s effort he surfaced again and got the ticket. We all rallied behind this same Atiku and we went to that election. There’s no way at the eve of that election five governors would be threatening this party and Atiku Abubakar would play that kind of levity and carelessness to say that they can go to hell.

“Aided by an Ayu, who was clearly working for something different from what we are, the problem that this present NWC is contended with Is a problem we inherited. We saw it clearly and some of us came all out and said to Atiku, you are losing it, as if we have not learned any lesson from the 2014 convention where five governors walked out of a convention.

“So, in 2023, With five governors walking out of the party and we say they can go to hell. Ayu did all that he needed to do to ensure that that the party is sabotaged from within. As an insider I can tell you, Ayu was saying head or tale they are both my friends, meanie that President Bola Tinubu the candidate of the All Progressives Congress and Atiku are my friends.”

In his remarks, the lawmaker representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency in Imo State, Ikenga Ugochinyere, held that Damagum and former Rivers State Governor Wike are responsible for the challenges the party is facing.

Ugochinyere pointed out that lawmakers and other stakeholders are leaving the PDP for other parties because the party’s symbol, the umbrella, is no longer sufficient to provide them protection.
He also stated that Wike has taken on a role serving the APC, adding that Damagum’s position as Acting Chairman is creating significant issues for the party.
Ugochinyere said, “We are not yet in that level to even ask ourselves whether we are playing an opposition role. Because we are not yet in opposition. We seem to be working for different people and different interests now. But we need to come back to say, realise that we are opposition and restructure ourselves along that opposition line.

“We are not even up to 10% as an opposition political party. And Nigeria used to be the hotbed of African political activism. But suddenly the PDP cannot play that role as opposition. So we need to ask ourselves, why are we not playing that role as an opposition political party? Because those things have happened before we came in and it keeps happening.

“So let’s leave what happened in the past or the mistakes some of our founding fathers made. But you will also agree that they laid enough foundation for us.

“The standard we are operating today is painful, embarrassing and insulting. It is nothing near what our founding fathers had, even though they had their own shortfall. I listened to the member of NWC speak passionately about how they inherited the challenges.

“But what I would ask him is, are you proud the way your own NWC is running now? Are you going to, because there are people who created these problems for you, those who are still creating that problem, is that a justification? Don’t you have your own sense of duty and responsibility to now say, let’s change the way these things are happening? Can’t you just say, I want this to change?”

Ugochinyere warned that if the crisis within the major opposition party continues, the PDP will become a laughingstock among Nigerians.

He stated, “The NWC is like a judge, not only doing justice, but you must be seen to be doing justice. If you look at some of the things that have happened, yes, we lost the election, we lost funding, we started surviving from governors or individual stakeholders and so on and so forth. But the biggest problem your own NWC is facing today, which is also affecting our role as an opposition party.
“We have been so decimated that just a few days, Peter Obi left the level, and is having the same 12 states with us. We should agree that we failed. We completely failed. 12 states. If they are the ones that took away from him, in that case he had even the highest number of states in that election. So that should tell us that the new generation is moving away from us.

“When I was coming, I saw Fix PDP to Fix Nigeria. Very fantastic. But before you fix PDP you have to fix everything that is internal. And that starts with the issue of leadership struggle. We can’t wave it aside. And let me tell you, as long as we don’t resolve these issues, the people out there are just laughing at us.

“Like basic constitutional responsibility, Article 45 and 47, a tradition that we have maintained over the years. We find it difficult to speak the truth. What is Damagum still doing? And I ask you here now, as the national chairman of the party, go in by that tradition. So let’s leave Wike out of it. Wike has taken a job to run an errand for APC. So we already know where he belongs.

“But then what are we doing? What are we not doing as a group to rescue the party? So the point I’m trying to make here is that Article 47, 45 was very clear that when a vacancy occurs, a party NEC picks another person from that zone or area where the former occupants originated. And you have become acting chairman by virtue of 45. Call a NEC meeting to appoint an acting chairman. Is that difficult for somebody, who wants Nigeria to take him serious? And that inability to do that is what brought this round of crisis again. And let me say this, you people know what you are doing.”