Wike-Atiku Dispute: Latest Steps to Unseat Damagum Unfold
Some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), along with allies of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, are trying to remove Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum from his position.
Reports say that Nyesom Wike and his supporters have been meeting in Abuja and Port Harcourt, aiming to secure court victories in the party’s ongoing power struggle. The recent scheduling of a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting for November 28 may work in Damagum’s favor, as it could allow him to stay in his role for a bit longer.
Atiku’s faction has been facing difficulties ever since former National Chairman Dr. Iyorchia Ayu stepped down. There’s been a delay in choosing a new chairman from the North Central region, which has created more challenges.
To complicate things further, a Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an order stopping the NEC and the party’s Board of Trustees from removing Damagum, which has sparked more legal action.
An NEC member, who wished to stay anonymous, told *Vanguard* that a legal team led by two well-known Senior Advocates of Nigeria is being put together to appeal this court order.
Party insiders claim Damagum has avoided calling a NEC meeting because he wants to keep his acting role. The source criticized Wike’s camp for celebrating the NEC meeting’s postponement.
The insider added, “We are definitely appealing this court order. At our 98th NEC meeting on April 18, we agreed that the NWC should hold congresses in states where executives’ terms have ended and prepare for a replacement for Dr. Iyiorchia Ayu, who resigned.”
However, the source continued, Damagum has been coming up with reasons to hold onto his position. Recently, he even convinced his allies in Yobe State to go to court to block the Board of Trustees and NEC from removing him.
The source questioned Damagum’s motives, saying, “He’s still the Deputy National Chairman (North), yet he’s blocking NEC from addressing this issue. He can’t stay as acting chairman forever. We plan to appeal this court ruling and overturn it.”
