Acting Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Umar Damagum, has said that the PDP National Working Committee under his leadership will not suspend or dismiss any disloyal member of the party.
His reaction was obviously meant to calm the growing agitation among party members who are asking that former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and members of his group should be suspended for anti-party activities during the just-concluded general elections.
Damagum, admitted that many members were involved in anti-party activities at different levels but said, “If we should start suspension, I will end up suspending many people because they were involved in anti-party activities. So, please bear with us. We intend to keep this party together and to manage it. This is my mandate,”
Damagum, who made the remarks while addressing PDP Mobilisers Group in Abuja, revealed that the NWC has approved to set up a committee to review and reconcile all aggrieved members.
The chairman said the party was more interested in reconciliation and bringing more people into the party than sanctioning alleged offenders, saying that doing so will destroy the party.
According to him, “They are always telling you these people are not doing the right thing. But when you are in a position of leadership, you are bound by a set of rules, and these rules, even though they are itching you, you don’t apply them—not because of anything, but so that you don’t destroy the house.
“I have been seeing the agitations within our platforms, saying the NWC was not doing this or doing that. This is an opportunity for me to explain.
“Somebody has said that sometimes when you are not knowledgeable about certain things and you go on talking about what you are thinking, it will always injure the sensibility of others to understand you.”
Damagum also described the 2023 presidential election defeat of the PDP as “most painful” but he urged members of the party against engaging in blame game.
“I am very proud to say that this party was started by me as a driver. Today, I am the acting national chairman by the grace of God. I have never calculated that I will be given this title. I believe in this party, I believe that this party is the best in this country.
“The NWC has already come up and approved a 2023 election review and reconciliation committee. They will go and investigate. We’ll give them the mandate to form subcommittees.
“However, there is only one national committee that will review the 2023 election and also review from 2015 to 2019. This is so that at the end of the day when they bring the reports, we will meet and take decisions.”
