Fayose declares PDP ‘in a coma,’ backs Damagum’s suspension, predicts he will ‘go the way of Ayu’

Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has issued a scathing assessment of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), declaring it to be in a “hopeless situation” and “a shadow of itself” following fresh leadership turmoil.

Fayose, speaking to journalists in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, endorsed the move by a faction of the party to suspend the National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and congratulated the new Acting National Chairman, Mohammed Abdulrahman.

The party’s internal crisis deepened significantly on Saturday after a faction, led by National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, announced the suspension of Damagum and five other members of the National Working Committee (NWC), while the Damagum-led NWC had earlier suspended Anyanwu and three others.

Explaining his support for the shake-up, Fayose suggested that the party’s downward spiral was due to a failure of leadership. He offered a grim prognosis for the PDP’s future, stating: “The party needs a leader who can reunite everybody at this time. So, I congratulate Abdulrahman, and I want to assure all party members that it is a new beginning. There is no hope of PDP coming back for now. Even the captains of our boat are jumping ship. They are moving from one bed to another. So, who is going to hold the party together?”

Fayose continued his sharp critique of the party’s current state, arguing that the PDP has “reasonably gone into extinction, unfortunately.” He was particularly harsh on the outgoing leadership: “The Damagum-led National Working Committee are undertakers—they have come to bury the party. It will interest you that they are leaving in less than one or two months, yet they are still suspending and counter-suspending members. But you never can tell; you may find a doctor in Abdulrahman who is willing to turn the tables around for the party. Right now, however, the party is in a coma.”

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The former governor expressed confidence that Damagum’s fate mirrors that of his predecessor, Iyorchia Ayu. “You will recall that this is the same way former PDP chairman Iyorchia Ayu’s crisis started. Damagum will go the way of Ayu, I can assure you. His last service to the party was before the suspension. Damagum is not going to return to that office as chairman,” Fayose declared.

He further alleged that Damagum was never meant to hold the top office in the first place, stating: “In the first place, he was not supposed to be the chairman. He only represented an interregnum but manipulated the process to become chairman and caused so much confusion everywhere. It shows that Damagum has been incompetent; he does not have what it takes to operate in that office.”

The opposing faction, which suspended Damagum, announced National Vice Chairman (North Central) Mohammed Abdulrahman as the acting chairman. Announcing the suspension, PDP National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu outlined the charges: “Unfortunately, some people may say that the National Secretary, National Organising Secretary, who has the responsibility of monitoring everything, and the National Legal Adviser, who is responsible for all legal issues, were purportedly suspended. On this note, we decided to suspend the National Chairman of the party, Damagum, for incompetence, financial misconduct, and disregard for court judgment. He has been suspended for one month and should face the Disciplinary Committee.”

Fayose concluded by appealing to the new leadership to prioritize restructuring and preparation for a convention. “Therefore, we want to appeal to the new acting chairman, assuring him of the cooperation of all party members and urging him to reposition the party, make all necessary corrections at the state chapters, and prepare for the convention.”

He also backed the legal standing of Abdulrahman’s appointment, adding: “After everybody must have obeyed the last court judgment that congresses must be held in all state chapters before the convention, I stand here to tell the whole world that Abdulrahman will be affirmed by the court so that there will be stability, because due process has been followed in suspending Damagum from that office.”

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