PDP Govs, N/Central Caucus At Loggerhead Over Party Chair

Eko Hot Blog reports that a cold war is brewing in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over who emerges as the substantive national chairman of the party.

The PDP governors and the North Central caucus of the party, who have vested interest on who occupies the seat, have drawn the battle lines over who succeeds in producing the substantive national chairman.

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While the governors, it was gathered, are rooting for Amb. Umar Damagum to continue as the substantive national chairman, the North Central caucus, it was also gathered, has zeroed in on former Senate President David Mark.

File Image of Senator David Mark

But Senator Bukola Saraki, former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam and former Dep­uty National Secretary, Emma Agbo, are said to be campaigning to clinch the position.

Since Sen. Iyorchia Ayu was removed, Amb. Damagum, who is the Deputy National Chairman (North) from Yobe State, has been acting as the chairman of the par­ty since March 28, 2023.

The move to have a substan­tive chairman for PDP is coming ahead of the party’s National Ex­ecutive Committee (NEC) meet­ing scheduled for April 18, 2024.

It was gathered that the PDP governors have endorsed the Acting National Chairman, Amb. Damagum, to continue in the po­sition as the substantive national chairman.

But the North Central caucus is poised on producing a substan­tive chairman to serve out the ten­ure of the zone.

Recall that the national chair­manship is zoned to the North Central, and the PDP constitution provides that a successor must come from the North Central.

The alleged endorsement by the PDP governors, has, howev­er, triggered some dramas in the party, a development that saw the North Central caucus making frantic efforts to ensure that the position is not taken away from the zone.

While it was gathered that a minister in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government is bankrolling the plot to ensure that Damagum emerged as the substantive chairman, the North Central caucus has not been able to get the commitment from Mark to accept the position.

The plot to ensure that Da­magum emerged, it was gath­ered, was to ensure that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar doesn’t have the opportunity of coming out as the party presiden­tial flag bearer in the 2027 general elections.

While it was gathered that the caucus has their reservations in the persons of Saraki and Suswam for reasons best known to them, Mark on the other hand may not be keen on taking the position. Recall that he had once rejected the position.

A reliable party source, who spoke with Daily Independent, said that if the caucus didn’t move on time, the North Central zone may lose the position.

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The source said: “I don’t think David Mark is interested in the position and the caucus has their reservations in the persons of Saraki and Suswam, but the best bet is for the zone to give it to any of the two, Saraki or Suswam, to serve out the tenure of Ayu if Mark refuses so that the zone will not lose out.

“But from the looks of things, the PDP governors are bent on en­suring that Damagum emerged as the substantive national chair­man of the party. The plot to pro­duce Damagum has the backing of a minister in this government. How the whole thing will play out is what I don’t know, but the plot is alive.”

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