PDP crisis: Damagum has gone the way of Ayu - Fayose

Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, on Sunday hailed the suspension on Saturday of the Peoples Democratic Party National Chairman, Umar Damagum and the emergence of Mohammed Abdulrahman as the acting national chairman.

Fayose, who described PDP under Damagum as a party in a hopeless situation and a shadow of itself, said, "The party needs a leader who can reunite everybody at this time. So, I congratulate Abdulrahman and I want to assure all party members that it is a new beginning".

The PDP chieftain, who spoke at a press briefing in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, charged Abdulrahman to reposition the party, make necessary amends at the state chapters and prepare for national convention.

The former governor, who said that situation under Damagum had similarities with that of a former national chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, said, the former had gone the way of the latter.

Fayose said that PDP had been in a hopeless situation, saying, "There is no hope of PDP coming back for now. Even the captains of our boats are jumping ship. They are jumping from one bed to another. So who is going to hold the party together? 

"PDP has reasonably gone to extinction, unfortunately. The Damagun-led National Working Committee are undertakers. They have come to bury the party. It will interest you that they are going in less than one month or two, they are still suspending and counter-suspending.

"But you never can tell. You can find a doctor in an Abdulrahman who is willing to turn the table around for the party. But right now, the party is in comatose.

"If somebody comes to the rescue and decides to rescue the party, as in the instance case of Abdulrahman, we will gave him a chance. That's why I said earlier that he should go and rescue this party.

"We are happy we have a new acting national chairman, Abdurrahman, who emerged yesterday (Saturday) as a result of the confidence reposed in him after the suspension of the former chairman.

"You will recall this is the same way PDP former chairman, Iyorchia Ayu's crisis started. Damagun will go the way of Ayu, I can assure you. His last service to the party was before the suspension. Damagun is not going to return to that office as chairman. 

"In the first place, he (Damagum) was not supposed to be the chairman. He only represented an interregnum, but manipulated the process to become the chairman and caused so much confusion. He caused so much confusion everywhere.

"It shows that the man, Damagun, has been incompetent, he does not have what it takes to operate in that office and acting in that capacity. Therefore, we want to appeal to the new acting chairman, assuring him of the cooperation of all party members, asking him to reposition the party, asking him to make all necessary corrections in state chapters, prepare for convention.

"After everybody must have obeyed the last court judgment that congresses must be held in all state chapters before the convention, I stand here to tell the whole world that Abdulrahman will be affirmed by the necessary court so that there will be stability because a due process has been done to suspend Damagum from that office," Fayose said.