Damagum Blames ‘The Devil’ for Inflaming Crisis in PDP

James Adamu in Abuja

The acting national chairman of Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ambassador Umar Damagum, has declared that “the devil is using” party members to cause havoc within the party.

Mr Damagum made the statement in Abuja on Thursday when he met with state chairmen of the party, who were visiting to register their loyalty to his leadership.

He warned those causing the crisis to remember the principle of karma, stating that treachery to the institution that made them would not be forgotten.

“I also 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. You may be lucky now, but there is a law of Karma,” Mr Damagum said.

He added, “What goes around comes around. I think it is not late to see the need to do justice to this party that has given you all. Sometimes, when I resort to the ways of God, people think it is 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 us.”

The chairman’s remarks come amid a deep crisis that has split the party’s National Working Committee into opposing factions, which have announced the suspension of each other’s members.

The crisis began over the weekend when one faction, led by Mr Damagum, suspended the national secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, and several other officials. In retaliation, the camp loyal to Mr Anyanwu, which is backed by the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, suspended Mr Damagum and a number of other officials.

The Anyanwu faction has since taken control of the party’s national secretariat in Abuja. The party’s internal conflict has thrown the planned national convention, scheduled for 15 November in Ibadan, into uncertainty, a situation compounded by conflicting court judgements.

While the party chairmen met with Mr Damagum, another group of PDP members staged a peaceful protest at the United States Embassy in Abuja. They called for international intervention to safeguard Nigeria’s democracy and prevent what they described as an alleged drift toward a one-party state.

The demonstrators carried placards with inscriptions such as “Fix PDP, fix Nigeria, save our democracy,” “Stop party opposition intimidation,” and “Please save our democracy from intimidation.”