Fresh fact emerged yesterday on how the Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Ambassador Umar Ilya Damagum, sabotaged the decision of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to install Chief Sunday Udo-Okoye as the party’s substantive Secretary.
On Wednesday, Damagum had presided over an NWC meeting where he put the contentious Secretarial position between Samuel Anyanwu and Udo-Okoye to vote.
Of the 18 members of the NWC, 14 voted that Udo-Okoye be sworn in as the Secretary, following Court rulings. Damagum, however, abstained from voting, telling his fellow NWC members that, “I abstain from voting as your leader. That does not invalidate your decision.”
Apart from Damagum, who abstained from voting, the National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature did not vote also.
It was based on the decision of the NWC members to implement the Court of Appeal judgement that recognised Ude-Okoye as the National Secretary, that the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, in a statement after the meeting, said Damagum presented a memo before the NWC on the National Secretaryship position.
According to Ologunagba, the acting National Chairman supported his memo with “the declaratory judgement of the High Court of Enugu, the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division which pronounced and declared Rt. Hon. S.K.E Ude-Okoye as the National Secretary of the PDP; the legal opinion and advice by Dr. Kabiru T. Turaki, SAN as well as that of the National Legal Adviser of the PDP.”
He added that after due consideration of the memo and the attachments, “the NWC overwhelmingly recognises, acknowledges and confirms Rt. Hon. S.K.E Ude-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary of the PDP in full compliance with and obedience to the judgement of the Court of Appeal, recognising that there is no subsisting or superseding judgment or order from any court of superior authority or hierarchy.”
But members of the NWC were horrified on Thursday to notice that Damagum had recanted his position and said the status quo remained, although he admitted there was an online meeting.
Damagun was then seen with Anyanwu, who was sacked by the Court of Appeal in December last year, at the party’s national secretariat on Thursday.
An NWC member who pleaded anonimity, said they were taken aback by the Chairman’s action.
He expressed surprise at the acting National Chairman’s action but hinted that he learnt the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike summoned and lampooned Damagum after the meeting, hence his U-turn.
According to him: “Section 29(3) of our party allows 2/3 of NWC members to call for a meeting. The NWC meeting is supposed to hold every two weeks but the National Chairman has refused to call a meeting because of this problem.”
He told Sunday Telegraph that 12 NWC members, “which makes it 2/3, made a move to call for a meeting. We all signed to call for a meeting.”
The source explained that in order to give Damagum the respect as acting National Chairman, he was prevailed upon to call for a meeting, otherwise, “when the majority call for a meeting without you, that means you’re gone.”
He disclosed that a PDP governor was contacted, who advised that to avoid crisis at the party’s secretariat, the meeting should hold online.
The NWC member explained that that was not the first time an online meeting of the committee was held, adding, “even the (guideline) for Anambra governorship election was approved online. During Christmas and other festivities when people traveled, we approved urgent things online.”
Apart from the secretaryship crisis, the source said last week’s meeting became necessary because of the deadline given by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for political parties to communicate it with the date and venue for their primaries for the Anambra election “will end tomorrow (Friday), because if we don’t resolve the secretary matter, it means we are selling Anambra election.”
He stated that Damagum was requested to develop a memo concerning the National Secretary matter, “and he agreed and posted the memo seeking our opinions about it.
“We made comments why we should obey the court order; everyone that made comment supported it.
“At the end of the meeting, we had 14 out of 18 members supporting that Ude-Okoye should be recognised as National Secretary, and that is not counting (Damagum) himself, because anybody who authorised a memo automatically approved it.
“After the 14 people have voted online, Damagum said: ‘if it is your wish, approved.’ He said he will be neutral because he is our leader, meaning that we all approved that Anyanwu should go.”
The source wondered why Damagum should be seen with Anyanwu at the PDP national secretariat on Thursday, adding “The information reaching us was that he was summoned last (Wednesday) night to (Nyesom) Wike’s house and was scolded.
“This situation revealed those who are destroying PDP. They are three – Damagum, Anyanwu and (Umar) Bature, the National Organising Secretary.
He disclosed that “all of us in the NWC were part of G-5 members before; some governors who are promoting this thing (the Anyanwu should go), were G-5 members before. But when we realised that it was a deliberate attempt to destroy PDP, they backed out.
“Let us do the right thing. We have benefited from this party. Why must we destroy it? No, we will not allow that.
“That is why majority of the governors are supporting this; that is why majority of BoT members, if not all of them are supporting this.
“The truth is that the court has ruled, and the National Legal Adviser has given legal advice, and Damagum supported his memo will all these documents.”
