The NEC meeting of the PDP on October 24, 2024, is a three-way battle between state governors, Atiku Abubakar, and Nyesom Wike.
The party crisis got worse when the Oguduokwor Ward in Ebonyi State suspended Ali Odefa, the National Vice Chairman for the South East zone.
The big issue in the battle for PDP control is who becomes the national chairman.
Ambassador Iliya Damagum has been in charge since last year, when Dr. Iyorchia Ayu had to step down because his ward in Gboko suspended him.
According to the PDP constitution, Section 45(2), someone can temporarily take over as chairman until a replacement is elected.
Section 45(2) is there to prevent a problem if Ayu is reinstated by the courts after someone else has already been appointed.
The PDP constitution doesn’t make it necessary to appoint a replacement until there’s an actual vacancy.
This is only for the positions of National Chairman and National Secretary.
Since the Wike/PDP Governors group won at the NEC meeting, it seems likely that they’ll end up running the party for the 2027 elections.
If they decide to replace the acting chairman, they’ll use their influence in the North-central zone to find candidates who support them.
Sources say Emmanuel Agbo, the former Deputy National Secretary and current Director General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, might become the national chairman.
David Ombagudu, a governorship candidate in Nasarawa state, is worth considering for support. Others believe Damagum and his supporters could use technicalities to stay in power until December 9, 2025.
Section 45(2) of the PDP constitution grants legal grounds for the deputy chairman to act as chairman.
Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan of the PDP stated that the North-central zone will field a replacement for Ayu.
Ologbondiyan, the ex-PDP National Publicity Secretary, said the PDP constitution clearly states which zone can fill the vacancy left by Dr. Ayu’s removal as National Chairman.
Ologbondiyan, who said this when he met with some youth groups in Abuja over the weekend, mentioned that Section 47(6) of the PDP Constitution, which was enforced in 2017, is still valid and will continue to be in effect.
He said; “As everyone knows, all PDP supporters and lovers of democracy in the country, especially our members in the North-eastern states that include Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi, Taraba, Gombe are supporting their North-central members towards ensuring that they will bring someone to replace Dr. Ayu.”
So, the ex-PDP spokesperson said supporters should ignore criticism and those who think they’re above the party’s constitution just for personal gain.
The plan to kick out Damagum has caused a split among the 13 PDP governors. Seven governors, led by Bala Mohammed from Bauchi State, want Damagum out, while four others, led by Seyi Makinde from Oyo State, want him to stay.
Wike and the pro-Damagum governors are on the same team. Some PDP governors don’t agree on keeping Damagum as acting national chair.
Some people in the NWC are apparently on Wike’s side in his fight against Governor Fubara.
Bala Mohammed, the PDP governors’ forum chairman, hosted the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) in Bauchi on September 18. He said Damagum can’t continue as acting chair.
Ademola Adeleke, the Governor of Osun, made it clear he’s not in favor of Damagum.