Bala Mohammed: PDP Will Resist Any Attempt to Turn Nigeria to One Party State

*Party postpones NEC to Nov 28 in order to approach Ondo guber in unity, strength 

*Our committee has reconciled NWC members one hundred per cent, Oyinlola declares

Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

Bauchi State Governor and Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, Bala Mohammed, yesterday, warned that the opposition party will resist any attempt to turn the country to a one-party state.

Mohammed spoke in Abuja at the opening of a stakeholders meeting.

That was as the various critical organs of the party rose from a consultative meeting last night with a resolution to reschedule the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting earlier slated for October 24, to November 28.

The PDP stakeholders stated, ”The postponement is to ensure that the party goes into the forthcoming Ondo gubernatorial elections of November 16, 2024 with the unity and strength demanded to unseat the floundering All Progressives Congress (APC) government in the state.”

At the same time, the Olagunsoye Oyinlola-led PDP reconciliation committee disclosed that it had succeeded in completely reconciling the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) members.

Mohammed, who had earlier hoped for an ex-parte order to allow the NEC meeting to hold, said PDP would surmount its current challenges and provide a credible platform for Nigerians to achieve their ambitions in 2027.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the stakeholders meeting, Mohammed said, “We are here to discuss the issues that are germane but are internal, and at the end of the day, we will announce to the media and the world.

“We will resist with all our strengths and capacity any attempt to turn Nigeria into one-party state, we will make sure that all the forces of division will not succeed among and within is.

“We will use all our experiences that we have gathered since 1999 to make sure that we provide Nigerians with a very good platform needed to actualise their aspirations in 2027.

“This is a one item agenda. It is not a governors’ forum meeting. It is not a BoT meeting; it is not an NWC or PDP caucus meeting. It is a PDP stakeholders meeting.

“This is to discuss and chat a way forward for the party. The country is aware of what we are experiencing, where we had a spirit of suspension and counter-suspension.

“But the PDP is a wonderful party. We are able to surmount our problems and we are united today. We are united today under the leadership of our acting national chairman, Illya Damagum. That is why we are here, because the party’s BoT, which is the conscience of the party, will discuss matters that will make us succeed in the future.”

A brief communique issued after the meeting last night read, “Reiterating the need for unity in the face of efforts by detractors to divide the party, the meeting called on all members to shun divisive utterances that could undermine ongoing efforts at strengthening the party to effectively play its role as the country’s main opposition, preparatory to taking over in 2027.”

The communique read by Mohammed said the following party organs attended the stakeholders meeting: PDP Governors’ Forum, Board of Trustees (BoT), NWC, National Assembly PDP Caucus, and forum of former governors of the party.

Nevertheless, the Oyinlola committee disclosed after the over four hours meeting that it had settled the divisions in the party.
The meeting started with all members of the two feuding camps in attendance. While Damagum led his group, the national treasurer, Yayari Mohammed, led members of his camp.

In the course of the meeting, the Damagum camp asked that they be excused to meet and come up with a decision. But the reconciliation committee rejected the idea of a separate meeting

The committee said it would prefer to observe the meeting to enable them intervene properly. It told the NWC that the party could not send them on a reconciliation meeting, when the PDP leadership was itself divided.

It was at that point that the NWC and the reconciliation committee met and resolved issues between the Damagum and Yayari Mohammed camps.

Briefing newsmen after the reconciliation meeting, Olagunsoye, flanked by Damagum on the left and Mohammed on the right, said the party’s leadership was one hundred per cent reconciled.

Oyinlola stated, “The outcome of today’s meeting is that, to the glory of God, we have been able to resolve the differences that have been causing our party some headache within the National Working Committee.

“We thank God that we have been able to open up to ourselves and resolve to move on as a united National Working Committee, which is what we needed for the progress of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party.

“The issues resolved are the differences that have pervaded the rank and file of the National Working Committee. I cannot be itemising them for you.”

On whether the NEC meeting would hold on Thursday, Oyinlola said, “That wasn’t part of our discussion and I’m not in a position to talk about NEC meeting.

“I’m the chairman of the National Reconciliation Committee. There were differences in the National Working Committee and that I have done and my job is finished.”

The chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum, it was learnt, had hoped for an ex-parte order to allow for the NEC meeting, as part of the strategies he had chosen to keep secret.

A high court in Abuja presided by Justice Peter Lodi had slammed a restraining order against the party from holding its NEC meeting.
THISDAY was told that the idea of seeking a contrary court order outside Abuja was due to the notion that courts in Abuja were already biased.

The PDP governors, therefore, approached a Federal High Court sitting in Gusau, presided over by Justice Salim Ibrahim, to help facilitate the order.

Court documents sighted by THISDAY showed that the request was made on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 at 8.30am, and it was filed by one Imam Auwal.

The forum wanted a special order to ensure the NEC meeting held to pave the way for the PDP governors to have their way in the ongoing struggle for the soul of the party.

The court in Gusau was yet to issue any order at press time.

Meanwhile, a group in Bauchi State, Bauchi State PDP Coalition Youth Stakeholders, threw its weight behind Damagum.
The group, led by Sagir A. Sardauna, made the declaration while addressing journalists in Bauchi. It said it would continue to endorse the leadership of Damagun as the national chairman of PDP beyond the present.
“We are behind him and hereby declare our total support for our great party’s Acting National Chairman, H.E Ambassador Umar Iliya Damugun,” the group stated.