Utaan calls for Fresh Leadership For PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Conrad Utaan, believes that to bring the party back to prominence in Nigerian politics, a new leader is required, one who is not one of the party’s established leaders.
He stated this during his appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday. The PDP’s senior leaders, according to Utaan, have grown lethargic, and only he with fresh vigor can bring the party back to life. Utaan has expressed interest in taking Iyorchia Ayu’s position as National Chairman.
Utaan believes that the party needs someone without leadership experience at the national level
“That is exactly what the party requires at this time; new energy, new thinking to take the party to a new level.
“There are leaders in this party; we have people like the former Vice President Namadi Sambo, the former governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi – several leaders of this party who have become so docile because of the lack of cohesion, because of ego spinning in the party. We need somebody bold enough, courageous enough, young enough, and with the energy.”
After Ayu was suspended by his Igyorov Ward Exco, Utaan took him to court in Makurdi and obtained a temporary order prohibiting him from posing as the PDP National Chairman.
Ayu was ultimately suspended and removed from office as a result of Utaan’s lawsuit.
But he insisted that his choice to sue Ayu was not an attempt to unseat him but rather an intervention to prevent the party from disintegrating.
“What we did in June 2023 was an intervention. I did not remove the former national chairman; his council ward removed him from office. They suspended him for not paying dues.
“And of course, as you see in saner climes, when you lead a party to such colossal defeat, the most honourable thing would have been to step aside. What I did was an intervention to bring some kind of sanity, to bring some kind of stability.
“That relative stability is what PDP is enjoying now to be able to be talking about replacing the former chairman,” Utaan said.
Umar Damagum has been leading the party as acting National Chairman since Ayu was removed by the court.
