Umar Damagum, the acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has rescheduled the party’s National Working Committee meeting for next week.
The decision was made due to the increasing tension between former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, and the PDP Governors Forum.
The lingering political crisis between Wike and the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara has led to a division in the party, with the PDP governors insisting that Fubara should be recognised as the leader of the PDP in Rivers State.
The declaration by the governors had infuriated Wike, who warned them to stay out of Rivers matter or he would ‘put fire’ in their states.
Reacting, the PDP Governors’ Forum slammed Wike, describing his threat as irresponsible.
The PDP NWC meeting, which was expected to hold on Wednesday and would have provided an opportunity to further address the disagreements between Wike and the governors, did not, however, hold.
According to Punch, the meeting was suspended due to the increasing tensions and also to prevent confrontation at the NWC meeting.
The publication observed that on Wednesday, Damagum; the National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature; the Deputy National Chairman South, Taofeek Arapaja; Deputy National Secretary, Setoji Kosheodo, were in the office between 1:05 pm and 3:10 pm.
A senior NWC member, who was present with them, stated that they gathered at the party headquarters to discuss the Kaduna chapter matter.
The source, said, “There is no need for an NWC meeting at this time. The meeting will be held next week. We only convened to discuss the Kaduna State chapter (issues). There was an issue in Zango Kataf, but it has been resolved.”
Another senior PDP NWC member said Damagum postponed the meeting out of concern it might lead to a confrontation.
The source added that other NWC members were unaware of any discussion regarding Kaduna; instead, Wike’s NWC loyalists met solely to finalise their plans.
He stated, “They are only playing games with the party members and its future. Those present at the secretariat today are part of their team.
“They postponed the meeting because they were afraid of the potential outcomes. If we had met today (Wednesday), we would have discussed the Rivers and other states’ congresses. The NWC needs to approve everything. Pressure from Wike and from governors to the entire NWC led them to delay the meeting to buy time.
“They were at the Secretariat to plan their next move. That is why some of us are not aware. With the governors having taken an open stance, they are trying to delay things to achieve their objectives. Thus, they deliberately postponed the meeting.
“On our side, we can’t call for an NWC meeting because Wike’s faction is in the majority. But, let’s see what they will do next.”
