Tension is rising within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum convened a meeting with state party chairmen ahead of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for November 28.
The gathering, held at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja, brought together state chairmen from across the country.
Addressing speculations about the purpose of the meeting, Damagum dismissed claims that it was aimed at securing support to extend his tenure as acting chairman.
Speaking before the meeting moved behind closed doors, he emphasized that the gathering was purely interactive and unrelated to the NEC’s upcoming deliberations on party leadership.
Damagum clarified:
“My chairmen, who are my commanders in the states, this is not an unusual meeting. We have had this kind of meeting before.
This is not the first time. For the record, this meeting is to interact with the state chairmen.
More than half of the state chairmen here are brand new, so it is important for us to know ourselves and discuss other matters such as the coming zonal congresses.”
He further noted that the issues surrounding the NEC meeting fall exclusively within the remit of the National Working Committee (NWC) and are unrelated to the session with the state chairmen.
Damagum reiterated that the meeting was meant to welcome newly elected chairmen and discuss organizational matters, including preparations for zonal congresses.
Austin Nwachukwu, the Imo State PDP Chairman and interim Chairman of the PDP Chairmen’s Forum, also described the gathering as a familiarization effort. He explained:
“More than half of the chairmen in attendance are newly elected. The meeting was imperative to foster unity and allow us to connect with the NWC members, whose tenure will be running out next year.”
The session comes amid heightened scrutiny over Damagum’s continued leadership and anticipation of significant decisions at the forthcoming NEC meeting.