The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senate Caucus, on Sunday, rejected calls for the resignation of Umar Illiya Damagum, the Party’s National Chairman.
There have been calls for Damagum’s resignation ahead of this week’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
Opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives led by the member representing Ideato Federal Constituency in Imo State, Ugochinyere Ikenga specifically made the calls.
Party members are also requesting that Damagum paves way for a National Chairman from the North Central zone as originally planned by the party.
The lawmakers accused Damagum of working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and failing to call the statutory quarterly NEC since he replaced Senator Iyorchia Ayu as the PDP acting National Chairman last year.
In a statement issued by leader of the PDP Senate Caucus, Abba Moro, he described the calls for Damagum’s resignation as “ill-timed and inappropriate.”
Moro said the call was a personal opinion of Ugochinyere as it does not reflect the opinion of PDP federal lawmakers, especially PDP senators.
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The former Minister of Interior said the call coming a few days before the long-awaited and most anticipated NEC meeting of the party was a needless ruffling of feathers.
According to him, the scheduled NEC meeting would allow members of the NEC to vent their opinions on the Party’s activities.
He added that party leaders and members look forward to a robust discussion at the meeting on issues concerning the party and Nigeria.
On the seat of the PDP national chairman, Senator Moro said there was no basis for anyone to suggest that the seat be thrown open or zoned to any other region apart from North Central.
He said the PDP’s constitution, the grand norm of its existence, provides for two deputy chairmen. Where there’s a vacancy, the deputy chairman of the zone where the embattled national chairman comes from will act.
He said he didn’t subscribe to any call for the seat to be thrown open or zoned to any region aside North Central.
On disciplinary measures against erring members of the party, he said NEC would not sit in Abuja and compile names of members who acted in ways and manners that undermined the party in the last elections.
“Relevant organs of the party have relevant responsibilities to discharge to the party. NEC cannot sit in Abuja and write names of party members A or B that acted to undermine the party in the last elections, that’s the duty of the various ward EXCOs,” he said.
