*Pix above: Dino Melaye
The 2023 Kogi State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dino Melaye, has lamented that the opposition party has lost its relevance in Nigeria’s political space as its top officials, Damagum, Bature, Anyanwu now commercialise it.
In a post via his X handle on Saturday, the former Kogi West Senator asserted that the PDP national chairman, Iliya Damagum; the national secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, and the national organising secretary, Umar Bature, are destroying the party.
He wrote, “End of the road for PDP as Damagum, Bature and Anyanwu irredeemably destroyed the party. We will talk about the commercialisation and privatisation of PDP. PDP is now once upon a time.”
Speaking to our correspondent on Saturday, the PDP spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, denied the claim that the party has been commercialised, saying every party has issues and internal wrangling.
He said, “The party is not commercialised. I don’t know what he means by that. The party is standing.
“Every party has its own challenges because they are managing people with different interests, backgrounds, considerations and aspirations, and it is the capacity of the party that makes it a successful party. Upon then, there will be challenges.
“When you have systems and processes that allow for that (challenges), it shows that the party is not properly run. At each stage, there are other organs of the party, such as the Board of Trustees, the National Executive Committee, the Governors’ Forum, and the National Working Committee.
“There are safety nets for the management of the party and for review of processes in such a way that the party can reconcile all those competing and conflicting interests, so that’s what we do. So that the party is commercialised, well, I don’t know. I don’t want to speak to that. I don’t know what he means by commercialisation. I would assume that commercialisation means when you are selling something, and you’re receiving money for sale, which is what Melaye referred to, and that’s not correct.”
Speaking further, Ologunagba said Melaye’s claim that the party is losing its relevance is incorrect, saying that the party has 13 governors and members in the National Assembly.
“If the PDP is once upon a time party, we won’t have 13 governors, House of Representatives members, and Senate members. So, I don’t know what he is referring to.
“In Edo State, for instance, if we are once upon a time, other members of the opposition won’t be joining our party, and we also have an outstanding candidate, Dr Asue Ighodalo. If you go to Ondo State, people are moving into our party, decamping every day because the hope of Nigeria is in PDP. We recognise that, and that’s why we do our processes in such a way that Nigerians can begin to have the nostalgia of the good years of PDP so that we can get back to government in 2027, and that’s exactly what we are doing.
“So to say that the party has lost its relevance, that’s not correct. The party is strong. Yes, the party has challenges, and we must admit that because that is normal in human relations, we can’t take our eyes off the main issue of governance and providing for the good people of Nigeria. The claim is a misrepresentation of the fact. and that’s not the position of the party.”
Additionally, PDP lawmakers in the House of Representatives had raised serious allegations against Damagum and Anyanwu.
The lawmaker, under the aegis of the Opposition Coalition, accused the party leaders of a covert plot to sabotage the PDP by aiding defected former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly with legal backing to attempt to impeach the Rivers State governor, Simi Fubara out of Office.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition, the spokesperson and member of the House of Representatives representing Ideato Federal Constituency, Ikenga Ugochinyere, detailed a series of events which he described as a calculated attempt by Damagum and Anyanwu to weaken the PDP from the inside.(Additional reports)/###
