PDP gives reasons it won’t sanction Wike, Makinde, Ortom, others

Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ambassador Umar Damagum, has given reasons why the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party under his leadership will not be in a rush to suspend nor dismiss any disloyal member despite pressure from stakeholders.

Damagum who disclosed this while addressing the PDP Mobilisers Group in Abuja on Saturday, said that the NWC had approved to set up a committee to review and reconcile all aggrieved members instead of placing sanctions on them.

The Chairman noted that what the party was more interested in at this point in time was to reconcile and bring more people into the party than sanctioning anyone for alleged anti-party, which could destroy the party.

Damagum who was reacting to several calls by some leaders in the party for recalcitrant members like Minister for FCT, Nyesom Wike, former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, Okezie Ikpeazu and others should be sanctioned for the anti-party activities before, during and after the 2023 general elections, said taking such drastic measures could finally bury the party.

“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,” Damagum said.

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“Somebody has said sometimes when you are not knowledgeable about certain things and you go on saying about your thinking, it will always injure the sensibility of others to understand you.

“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.

“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.

“If I said 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.

“When a substantive chairman comes, he can decide to suspend or dismiss anybody. But myself as somebody who loves this party, somebody who started this party, I think we need even those from the other side to come back and join.”

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