The Senate caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said the crisis rocking the party is beyond the rift between the PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, rAlhaji Atiku Abubakar and the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
The caucus described the crisis, for which a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting last Thursday, as existential.
The minority leader of the Senate, who is also the leader of the PDP Senate caucus, Abba Moro, said the survival of the acting national chairman of PDP Amb Umar Lliya Damagum at NEC meeting was a win for the party, adding that it was erroneous to ascribe the meetings outcome as a defeat for Atiku or victory for Wike.
Last Thursday, the PDP NEC, against the backdrop of agitations from party members, resolved the Damagum should be allowed to oversee the conduct of congress in states.
North Central stakeholders in PDP are asking Damagum to vacate the national chairmanship seat and allow their zone present a representative to rightfully occupy the seat as originally planned by the party.
The PDP spokesman, Hon Debo Ologunagba however noted that discussion on party leadership will resume at the next NEC meeting in August.
While Atiku’s camp backed the call for Damagum to vacate office, Wike’e camp supported Damagum’s continued stay in office as acting chairman.
However, Moro, who represents Benue South Senatorial District said the PDP NEC resolution was unanimously agreed on by the relevant stakeholders for the party to forge ahead.
In a statement by his media adviser, Emmanuel John, the Senate minority leader said “We cannot translate the entirety of PDP’s activities and inactivities to Wike and Atiku, out of millions of other members of the party across the country who also have their own thinking and reasons for being in the party.
“The whole issue was not about Wike or Atiku, or victory for Wike or defeat for Atiku, the issue was existential. We came together and reasoned together, that in the present scenario where Nigerians are hurting due to the maladministration of the APC government, what do we do to provide an alternative platform for Nigerians to look up to? In those circumstances, we decided to tread with caution so that we don’t throw away the baby with the bath water,” Moro said.
On why the national caucus of the party allowed Nyesom Wike into their meeting, Moro said the Minister couldn’t have been stopped from the meeting since he has not been found guilty of any crime and penalized by the party.
He said if the party’s disciplinary committee, headed by Senator Bukola Saraki found Wike guilty of the alleged anti-party activities and had him sanctioned, he would stop attending the party’s meetings.
“The constitution of our party is very clear on who is a member and who is not a member of the caucus of the party and I dare say, at this point, that as a former governor who is still a member of the party, Nyesom Wike is a member of the National Caucus of the party.
“If actions had been taken immediately after the elections and people who are perceived to have acted contrary to the desires and yearnings of the PDP have been sanctioned, then we can say that having been expelled or suspended, you can’t be here, but as it is, none of such actions has been taken, so you can’t just ban people from attending meetings.
“One of the fallouts of the last NEC meeting was the resuscitation of the Reconciliation and Disciplinary Committee, which is saddled with the responsibility of identifying the area of antiparty and the dramatis personae involved in the activities, and recommend appropriate punitive measures against those who have been found guilty to serve as deterrent to future occurrence.
“Unfortunately, that hasn’t been done, and so to that extent, as a voluntary organisation, if the members involved insist they are still members of the party, until actions are taken by the Reconciliation and Disciplinary Committee we want to take that they are still members of the party,” Moro added.
With regards to the PDP NEC meeting scheduled for August 15 and the contest for national chairman position, Moro said the party’s constitution had a well spelt out succession plan.
He appealed to party members and stakeholders to have some level of circumspection and restraints in their actions and utterances so as not to further polarise the party.