PDP crisis unfortunate, disappointing — Party chieftain

A chieftain of PDP in Lagos State, Mr Toafik Gani, has described the current national leadership crisis in the party as unfortunate and disappointing

Gani ,a former Publicity Secretary of the party in the state, spoke with the newsmen on Sunday.

He was reacting to the crisis in the party, which has resulted in the suspension and reciprocal suspension of key officers of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) by the different camps.

“It is unfortunate that this scenario is playing out, especially at this particular time that the party, which obviously remains a big party, should be the potent alternative to the APC.

“As Nigerians are yearning for another party to govern the nation in 2027, they are so disappointed at the current infighting within our party.

“This should not protract to 2027, because what led to the defeat of the PDP in 2023 was not even as monumental as what is happening now,” Gani said.

According to him, the situation is so pathetic that the party does not have a national chairman that is generally accepted to all key stakeholders.

Gani, a legal practitioner, said: “This (crisis) did not even happen in 2023 and we lost the election.

“So, one can imagine what the situation will be if this continues, it will be a very catastrophic situation in 2027.

“My appeal to members and leaders of PDP is to listen to the voice of reason and advice of elders so that we can get out of this”

The lawyer said PDP elders and leaders should not allow ambition or interest to becloud their sense of reasoning, but rather prioritise the interest and survival of the party.

He said that the rotational arrangement of the party allowed the substantive national chairman of the party to come from the North Central at the moment.

Gani said: “This has been deliberately delayed by those who are benefiting from this anomaly.

“So, until the people come to the realisation that there should be constitutionalism in the party ,by allowing the national chairmanship to stay at the North Central, there cannot be fairness, justice and equity.”

Supreme News recalls that a faction of the PDP NWC had on Friday suspended Amb. Umar Damagum, the Acting National Chairman.

The party’s NWC, in a statement issued by Debo Ologunagba, the party spokesman, also suspended Samuel Anyanwu, the National Secretary.

Earlier, another faction in the NWC ,had asked Ologunagba and Kamaldeen Ajibade, the National Legal Adviser, to step aside.

In a statement, Chinwe Nnorom, PDP National Director of Publicity, said both party officials were suspended at the NWC meeting held on Thursday.

Nnorom said a committee headed by Taofeek Arapaja, Deputy National Chairman (South), had been set up to “investigate the issues raised against the officers in compliance with the provisions of the constitution of the party”.

The PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) has called on the two factions within the party’s NWC to sheathe their swords and revert to the status quo.

The board made the call in a statement issued by its Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, on Friday in Abuja, as part of its moves to intervene in the crisis.