‘There’s a law of karma’ — Damagum cautions PDP state chairmen against disloyalty

Umar Damagum, the embattled national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has cautioned the party’s state chairmen against disloyalty.

Speaking in Abuja on Thursday during a meeting with the Forum of State PDP Chairmen, Damagum said betrayal always has consequences.

“I want to use this opportunity to call on our colleagues that the devil is using to see wisdom in casting the devil in them because treachery, especially to an institution that has made you what you are today, will not heal,” he said.

“You may be lucky now, but there is the law of karma. What goes around comes around. I think it is not too late to see the need to do justice to this party that has given you all. Sometimes, when I resort to God’s ways, people think it is a weakness.

“We exist because God exists. We owe everything that we do to Him. He is watching us. He will judge us by our behaviour. I will leave this on this note. They say a word is enough for the wise.”

Damagum dismissed claims that the PDP has lost relevance in the nation’s politics.

“People are saying the PDP is dead. Today, in Nigeria, the story is about the PDP. You don’t tell a story of something that does not exist,” he said.

“This is an attestation that the PDP is alive. The PDP is ready. The PDP is a vehicle that knows how to navigate the challenges within our fold and also solve the challenges that are bedevilling us in this country.”

He warned the federal government against intimidating and harassing opposition politicians.

“This country belongs to all of us. We are law-abiding citizens. We will continue to pursue our dreams lawfully,” Damagum said.

“We will not be intimidated by anyone who feels that, because God has given him the opportunity, he can behave the way he likes. It is a temporary one. And one day, everyone who does what is not right will be at the front.”

The state chairmen pledged loyalty to the party and declared support for the forthcoming national convention on November 15.

PDP LEADERSHIP CRISIS

The crisis in the PDP recently took a new twist, with two factions laying claim to the chairmanship position.

On Saturday, the PDP national working committee (NWC), led by Damagum, suspended Samuel Anyanwu, national secretary; Kamaldeen Ajibade, national legal adviser; Okechukwu Osuoha, deputy legal adviser; and Umaru Bature, national organising secretary, over alleged anti-party activities.

Debo Ologunagba, PDP spokesperson, who announced the suspension, said the decision followed an emergency meeting of the NWC in Abuja.

In a retaliatory move, Anyanwu’s faction, which has the backing of Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), suspended Damagum, Ologunagba, Taofeek Arapaja, the deputy national vice-chairman (south); Daniel Woyenguikoro, national financial secretary; Sulaiman Kadade, national youth leader; and Setonji Koshoedo, deputy national secretary.

Anyanwu’s faction subsequently appointed Abdulrahman Mohammed as the acting national chairman, claiming that the decision was necessary to restore order and legitimacy within the party’s national leadership.

On Monday, Mohammed declared himself the PDP acting national chairman at the party’s secretariat.

Last week, an Abuja high court ordered the PDP to suspend its planned national convention over breach of due process.

However, a high court in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, has ruled in favour of the party’s planned convention slated for November 15 and 16.