Blame the Reconciliation Committee, Not Me, for Wike’s Stay in PDP — Damagum

Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Iliya Damagum, has attributed the ongoing crisis within the party to the failure of its reconciliation and disciplinary committee to act on petitions against members allegedly working against the PDP. Speaking on the BBC Hausa programme *Gane Mana Hanya*, monitored on Saturday, Damagum said the committee received over 40 petitions but acted on only one, involving the national secretary, while ignoring others that could have resolved key issues within the party.

Damagum pointed fingers at the committee for allowing figures like the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and others to remain in the party despite clear anti-party actions. He claimed there were sufficient grounds to expel them but those responsible at the time chose not to act, leaving the current leadership to manage the fallout. “Now that I am leading the party, they are putting pressure on me to expel him. My own is that, I want peace in the party. By the time you keep expelling members rather than resolving issues peacefully, one day you will wake up and there will be no more people in the party,” he warned.

The PDP chairman noted that Wike’s role in the party’s internal challenges was visible even before the 2023 general elections. According to him, the leadership then had been advised to take disciplinary action against Wike and four other members but failed to do so, which ultimately hurt the party during the polls. He criticized the current pressure to take drastic action now, pointing out that those now demanding accountability were previously aligned with Wike when it suited them. “My only sin to them is that I came at a time when their relationship had collapsed,” Damagum said.

He also highlighted Wike’s unilateral influence in party decisions, specifically citing the selection of the Rivers State PDP governorship candidate. “When the FCT Minister singlehandedly brought the embattled Rivers governor as the candidate, nobody questioned how he did it. Now that there is a problem, they expect the party or me to fix it,” he remarked.

Damagum expressed disappointment in senior party members who, rather than providing leadership, were engaged in actions that deepened the crisis. He accused them of acting like “sacred cows” and holding the party hostage with their divisive politics. Reflecting on his own commitment to the party, he said, “Since I joined the PDP in 1998, I have not moved away because I have political discipline and principles. I cannot be jumping from one party to another.”

Commenting on recent defections from the PDP, he acknowledged the damage but remained optimistic. He said the exodus might ultimately strengthen the party. “It is not the number of defections that will make the APC win the 2027 general elections; it is the electorate, Nigerians who will cast votes. In 2027, it is President Bola Tinubu versus Nigerians, not the APC,” he said. Damagum suggested that those defecting may be seeking protection or financial gain, saying they may be looking for “safe landing from possible persecution or maybe looking for more money in their bank accounts.”

The embattled chairman reiterated his goal to rebuild and reposition the PDP as a formidable opposition party capable of reclaiming power in the next general election.