Wike vs Atiku: Fresh Moves To Sack Damagum Begin

Umar Damagum

Some chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  have embarked on fresh moves to sack the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum.

It was learnt that Wike and his loyalists have been holding meetings in Abuja and Port-Harcourt to safeguard what they consider a string of court victories in the ongoing intra-party power struggle.

The camp considered it advantageous that the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting was scheduled for November 28 because it would save Damagum time to remain in office.

However, Atiku’s camp has been licking its wounds since the former substantive National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, resigned from his position and moves to replace him with a candidate from the North Central has been stalling.

A decision by a Federal High Court in Abuja to restrain the NEC and the party’s Board of Trustees from removing Damagum from office has further complicated matters.

A member of the party’s NEC who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity said that a team of lawyers under the guidance of two prominent Senior Advocates of Nigeria is being assembled to appeal the court order.

The party insiders stated that Damagun, for some strange reasons, has refused to convene the NEC meeting because he is eager to remain in an acting capacity.

The source added that it was out of place for the Wike camp to celebrate the latest shift in the date for the NEC meeting.

The source said, “Of course, we are appealing the court order. Go back to the resolution of our 98th NEC meeting held on April 18th. It was resolved that the NWC should conduct congresses at the relevant levels in states where the tenures of their executives have lapsed and prepare grounds for a replacement for Dr. Iyiorchia Ayu who resigned from his position.

“But for some strange reasons, Damagum has found one excuse or another to cling to power in an acting capacity by refusing to convene NEC.

“To further complicate matters, he caused his lieutenants in Yobe State, to go to court to restrain the Board of Trustees and NEC from removing him from office.

“This man is still the Deputy National Chairman (North), a position he also holds today.

“How can a man who says he has the party’s best interest at heart, go to court and tie our hands by removing one of the main items on the agenda of our NEC meeting?

“We have news for him, he can’t be acting chairman in perpetuity. That judgement or whatever it is will be appealed and vacated.”