The Peoples Democratic Party has been on loggerhead over the issue of it’s national leadership. Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, has recently call for the party to reunite and restore it’s glory.
Osadolor in his speech titled: ‘Tomorrow Beckons on PDP,’ said the party’s Acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum, would remain in office until December 2025 and anyone who is not ready to have him can leave the party.
Recall that Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja had stopped the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) from removing Damagum as the Acting National Chairman of the party until the party’s national convention scheduled for December 2025.
Osadolor backing his stand, added that the crisis in the party is caused by some ‘privileged members,’ who are bent on shoving Damagum aside.
He said: “We, the elected deputies of the PDP National Working Committee, have deemed it fit and proper to come out and speak, to save the soul and integrity of this blessed and beloved party of ours.
“We are dealing with disillusionment of members across the country and beyond, for reasons bothering on distrust, insincerity, lack of firm enforcement of agreements, self-serving interests and unnecessary eye service that is laced with smooth tongues.”
According to Osadolor, the fierce proxy war is counter-productive and very alarming, adding that “ it is distracting attention and misdirecting energies that could have been put to better use.”
Speaking further, he said, “Worrisome is the action of members of the party who, under the guise of being ‘due process advocates,’ act on behalf of self-serving leaders lurking behind the scenes mischievously, causing misunderstanding in the party.
“This behaviour is apparently self-serving on their part, as it is not in the interest of the PDP in anyway.
“It is ethically and morally wrong for members of the party to move around, creating confusion instead of exploring our internal mechanism for peace.”
“This is no longer the time for blame game. All have sinned – from the Board of Trustees Chairman who endorsed an opposition governor, to candidates that negotiated and supported other parties’ candidates – to NWC members and leaders that lost their polling units.”
“We must all come down from our high horses, forget pride for now and join hands with the party as led by Ambassador Ilyas Damagun to reposition this party back to winning ways; court distractions and media de-marketing of the PDP must stop forth with.
“You do not need to like the officers, but the party is more important; if you want to resign and go, be a proper part of opposition. Do not be here and going from television stations to radio house, abusing the party.
“The case of the acting national chairman is settled till December, 2025, and on that of the National Secretary, we must wait for the courts to decide; let us learn to love and support PDP first and always.”
He added: “We, the deputies, are committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure that PDP regains its pride of place and finds herself back in Aso Rock for the benefit of Nigeria and all Nigerians.
“The task ahead is to prepare for the next elections and not the present bickering, which is distracting attention and misdirecting energies that could have been put to better use.
“From 2013 till date, personal ambitions have driven us to heights of pure mischief and arrogant use of power and this has led to agreements not being kept and the ambiguities in our constitution being exploited by those in position, even through the courts.
“We are all complicit by being perpetrators, supporters or silent onlookers; no one is coming to save us, we must stand up and become heroes, we brought ourselves here.
“Tomorrow beckons on us, we need to rise up and surmount these challenges. As we await the outcome of the on-going litigations, let us work towards the upcoming constitutionally-backed stakeholder engagements, embrace each other, and put plans in place to amend the ambiguities and loop holes in our constitution.
“Our individual ambitions must be within the ambits of the law and must be pursued with sincerity and loyalty to party, not the mischief and arrogance that we always display.”
It was gathered that the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba when contacted regarding the issue did not give any response.
