Calls For Damagum’s Resignation As National Chairman Needless, Inappropriate – PDP Senate Caucus

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senate Caucus has rejected calls for the resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Umar Illiya Damagum.

There have been calls for Damagum’s resignation as the PDP national chairman ahead of this week’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

Party members are asking Damagum to pave the way for a national chairman from the North Central zone as originally planned by the party.

The recent call for Damagum’s resignation was made by opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives led by the member representing Ideato Federal Constituency in Imo State, Hon. Ugochinyere Ikenga.

The lawmakers accused Damagum of working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and failing to call the statutory quarterly NEC since he replaced Senator Iyorchia Ayu as the PDP acting national chairman last year.

In a statement issued on Sunday by his media aide, Emmanuel Eche’Ofun John, the leader of the PDP Senate Caucus, Senator Abba Moro (Benue South), described the calls for Damagum’s resignation as ill-timed and inappropriate.

Moro said the call was a personal opinion of Ugochinyere as it does not reflect the opinion of PDP federal lawmakers, especially PDP senators.

The former Minister of Interior said the call coming a few days before the long-awaited and most anticipated NEC meeting of the party was a needless ruffling of feathers.

Scheduled NEC Meeting

Moro said the scheduled NEC meeting would allow members of the NEC to vent their opinions on the party’s activities.

He added that party leaders and members look forward to a robust discussion at the meeting on issues concerning the party and Nigeria.

National Chairmanship Seat

On the seat of the PDP national chairman, Senator Moro said there was no basis for anyone to suggest that the seat be thrown open or zoned to any other region apart from North Central.

He said the PDP’s constitution, the grand norm of its existence, provides for two deputy chairmen. Where there’s a vacancy, the deputy chairman of the zone where the embattled national chairman comes from will act.

He said he didn’t subscribe to any call for the seat to be thrown open or zoned to any region aside North Central.

He counselled that if the party must regain its lost glory and remain formidable as the biggest political party in Africa, then NEC members must go into the next meeting with some level of circumspection so that the baby is not thrown away with the bath water.