Leadership crisis: Security agencies will go after violators of court order recognising Damagum, says PDP

Ibrahim Manga, the acting spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says security agencies will go after members who violate the recent court order that recognised Umar Damagum as the party’s acting national chairman.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, Manga said Damagum remains the authentic acting national chairman of the PDP.

BACKGROUND

The opposition party has been embroiled in an internal crisis since 2022, which has polarised its national working committee (NWC).

The crisis took a new twist last Thursday when a faction in the NWC suspended Damagum and Samuel Anyanwu, the national secretary, over alleged anti-party activities.

However, the Damagum-backed faction also suspended Kamaldeen Ajibade, the national legal adviser, and Debo Ologunagba, the national spokesperson, on the same offence.

On Friday, Ologunagba’s faction announced the appointment of Yayari Mohammed as the party’s acting national chairman.

On the same day, a federal high court sitting in Abuja restrained the national executive committee (NEC), the highest decision-making organ of the party, and the board of trustees (BoT) from removing Damagum as the acting national chairman.

In a judgment delivered via Zoom, Peter Lifu, the presiding judge, ordered that apart from Damagum, no other person must be recognised as the PDP acting national chairman until the party’s convention scheduled for December 2025.

‘SECURITY AGENCIES WILL ENFORCE COURT ORDER’

Manga said it is “distasteful” that party members, “who should be educating others,” are the ones making comments that contradict the party’s constitution.

“Furthermore, we are constrained to express our utter disgust and disappointment in our colleagues’ resort to ‘motor park’ approach to a mere suspension aimed at providing them with the opportunity to clear themselves of certain allegations against them,” he said.

“In the face of this reckless violation of a subsisting court order, we are hereby left with no option but to deploy the services of security agencies in the enforcement of the rule of law.”

Manga commended the PDP Governors’ Forum and the BoT members for seeking an amicable solution to the crisis.