A coalition of 20 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) support and pressure groups and some pro – internal democracy organizations in Nigeria and in the diaspora have given the Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar iliya Damagun, the node to pilot the affairs of the party till 2029 and handover to an under 55year old PDP member as National Chairman and similar age group for members o the National Working Committee (NWC). And by implication, this means the compulsory retirement of the old bridgades and the reincanated politicians.
The groups, under the aegis of Project PDP Emerging Young Generation Leaders Initiative, described the PDP Acting National Chairman as a Transitional National Chairman who is in the process of cleaning up the mess and disunity et al caused by his generation before transferring power to the younger generation.
The coalition groups consist of, inter alia, the Concerned PDP League (CPDPL), Ambassadors of Patratic Minds (APM), PDP 2027 Southern Presidency Vanguard (PDPSPV), AREWA PDP Forum (APDPF), Atku/Okowa Volunteers 2023 (AOV), PDP Progressive Youth (PDPPY), PDP Unity forum (PDPUF), PDP Interest Watchdog (PDPIW), and Let Bygones Be Bygones Ambassadors (LBBBA).
In a statement issued on Sunday September 10 2023. titled: Damagun: The Chairman with the Mandate For Generational Swap 2029, and co-signed by the Coalition Coordinator, Comrade Daboikiabo Z. Warmate, Coalition Secretary Hajiya Nafisat A. Muhammed, Coalition Director of Media, Comrade Amen Lima and the Coalition Senior Special Adviser Professor John Okoni, said, Damagun’s uncommon and sterling leadership qualities he deployed to safe the party from the verge of extinction is worth emulating and has informed their resolve to so mandate him.
The full statement:
“Following the lingering crisis in our great party, and the Acting National Chairman’s neutral position that is on display with his high sense of sacrifice and a rare regard for the love, peace, unity and progress of the party. This has constrained us to give him our mandate to pilot the affairs of the party for the next six years, and use the remaining two plus years of the current National Working Committee (NWC) to extubate and expunge the bad blood caused as a result of the crisis in the party by leading figures of the party.
The coalition group said, “the new mandate that will commence on 10th December 2025, in consonance with the 2017 constitution of our party as amended. This will provide adequate time to mentor and guard the younger generation to take over the mantle of leadership of the party under Damagum’s tutelage and sterling leadership qualities and uncommon strategy.
1. The Winning without Noise Strategy: How the Acting National Chairman was able to break the 25 years history of presidential elections and give PDP victory for the first time since 1999 in Yobe state. Damagun is a political submarine that our party can’t afford to lose as National Chairman. His results speaks volumes. In;
1999 AD/APP BEAT PDP
2003 ANPP BEAT PDP
2007 CPC BEAT PDP
2011 CPC BEAT PDP
2015 APC BEAT PDP
2019 APC BEAT PDP
2023 PDP BEAT APC
2. Damagun’s Golden Silence; Our dynamic Acting National Chairman is an epitome and a true reflection of the ancient Egyptian philosophical expression and proverbial phrase that Thomas Carlyle translated from German to English as, “Speech is Silver, Silence is Golden”. And in this case, Damagun silence frankly speaks golden at this time because, if he was to speak against the lies and propaganda of some party leaders, PDP would have been on the verge of precipe, but for his calmness and disciple thinking in time of party turbulence, his discretion is more important than his eloquence. If party patriots will recall, the Acting National Chairman has deliberately remain silent and calm in the face of blatant propaganda, provocation, allegations and lies against him which some have even misunderstood as compromise. Also the propanda of the African dictum had Damagun in mind when it was said, an elder is like a trash bin that receives all the trash but never complains.
He has never arrested anybody on account of the unfounded lies, insults and falsehood being peddled against him. He is a true democrat and a rubbish absolver. And in all of these, Amb. Damagum has been calm and focused on uniting the Party.
The PDP emerging Young Leaders initiative said that, the they would need to study the two explicitly mentioned leadership qualities and many more they would need to learn from Damagum to keep the party vibrant, responsive and the most admired political party in our nation for generations to come.
“Addressing those that are calling for Damagum’s removal, special convention and or caretaker committee and their sponsors, the coalition, urge and advise them to kill and bury the idea because, the Acting National Chairman is an answer to the question and quest for a trusted leader by all party patriot and a progressive whose hankering for the unity of PDP, can not be question.
“We therefore enjoin all well-meaning party patriots and Nigerians to rally round Amb. Damagun to lead vibrant opposition to avoid our nation from sliding into one party state. And we will consider those party faithfuls who refuses to rally round him as working with APC to enshrine a one party system in Nigeria.
All we want is for our great party the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to reunite, provide the needed vibrant and robust opposition Nigerians are earnestly expecting from us, and to succeed in advancing our electoral adventure, which we think will be possible under the leadership and chairmanship of Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagun.
