• Says ex-Senate President not working for LP

From Okey Sampson, Umuahia

The crisis in the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has deepened as a group known as the PDP Frontiers for Change and Progress (PFCP) berated the Acting National Chairman of the party, Umar Damagum, accusing him of sponsoring media propaganda and blackmail against the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, for speaking the truth.

The group was reacting to a publication on the Facebook page of Northern PDP Social Media, which accused Wabara of working against the interests of the PDP and antagonising the Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

The publication criticised Wabara over his remarks at the 5 December emergency meeting of the party held at the PDP National Secretariat, Abuja.

The PDP BoT Chairman had, at the said meeting, expressed disappointment over the repeated postponement of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting by the Damagum-led NWC.

Wabara was quoted to have said at the meeting: “It is with a deep sense of disappointment that I must express the BoT’s dismay at the continued shifting by the National Working Committee (NWC) in convening a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

“This delay not only undermines the trust and confidence of our members but also weakens the unity and democratic processes that are the foundation of our party.”

The Facebook publication, which also accused Wabara of working for the Labour Party, urged the former Senate President to stop working at cross-purposes with the Damagum-led NWC.

However, the Convener of PFCP, Emeka-Yellow Ikpegbu, said Wabara only spoke the bitter truth and the mind of many party faithful.

“The sponsored media attacks against the BoT Chairman are unwarranted, ridiculous, and a display of political immaturity by those behind the cheap blackmail.”

Ikpegbu stated that Wabara spoke out as the Chairman of the BoT, which is the conscience of the party and should provide direction to the NWC to ensure the party is not misled or derailed from its democratic principles.

“The sponsored media onslaught is meant to blackmail the BoT Chairman into submission, weaken PDP, and ultimately hand over the party to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).”

Ikpegbu said the actions and activities of the Damagum-led NWC “lend credence to growing suspicions that the Acting National Chairman is in bed with the ruling APC for selfish interests.

“The signals are very obvious and ominous. Damagum cannot deny that he is the one working for other interests. PDP may not survive till 2027 with the way the Damagum-led NWC is running the affairs of the party.

“How can he be toying with the future of a main opposition party that has been in power for years? How can he keep postponing the NEC meeting three times and assume everybody will keep quiet? Is PDP under his watch truly playing the opposition?

“We are not surprised at these infantile antics of sponsoring fallacious media propaganda to blackmail the BoT Chairman, who has remained courageous in speaking against the errors of the NWC. This lame script is dead on arrival. Speaking the bitter truth does not in any way amount to working for Labour Party.”

PFCP argued that contrary to claims by Damagum that the PDP NEC meeting was postponed because of the burial of the Akwa Ibom First Lady, the Chairman could have brought the meeting forward to an earlier date if he were truly sincere.

The group claimed that the continued postponement of NEC meetings was a ploy by Damagum to perpetuate himself in office until 2027.

PFCP commended Senator Wabara, the PDP BoT, the PDP Governors’ Forum, and some elders of the party who are committed to the party’s revival and its rebound as a ruling party at the centre.