PDP In Crisis Because Members Abandoned Ideals For Self-Interest – Damagum
Acting national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagum, says the party’s internal crisis stems from members abandoning its founding ideology for personal interests.
Speaking on Wednesday in Abuja during a meeting of PDP founding members and stakeholders, Damagum described the party’s troubles as “self-inflicted” and urged members to stop demarketing the party or affiliating with other political groups.
“It is either you are a PDP member or not, as you cannot belong to two political parties at a time,” he said.
He lamented that since the Obasanjo administration, the party has “too often jettisoned ideology in favour of personal ambition,” which he said has cost the PDP dearly.
Despite the challenges, Damagum maintained that the PDP still embodies unique attributes, including a commitment to internal democracy, mechanisms for dialogue and reconciliation, and a truly national outlook.
He said the party remains open to those willing to return, adding that it was never founded as a “mere vehicle for political ambition” but as a response to a “national crisis of conscience.”
“In this moment, as in times past, the PDP must rise as a vessel of real hope and a voice of reason,” he added, stressing that members must put aside personal interests to heal the party’s wounds.
Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi and chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, echoed the call for unity, describing it as unwise for anyone to leave the party.
“If someone wants to leave PDP to go to another place, how is this a smart move?” he asked, urging defectors to return.
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki also pledged his commitment to the party, vowing not to leave as he did in 2013. “I left in anger, but anger does not provide good leadership. Leaving the party does not help in solving the problems of the party,” Saraki said.
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