On Friday, a faction of the National Working Committee (NWC) suspended the acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagum, and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, citing allegations of disloyalty to the party.
The faction, which aligns itself with the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, issued a statement on Friday announcing the suspension of both leaders from their positions.
However, the legal landscape shifted on the same day when Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that Umar Damagum remains the legitimate National Chairman of the PDP.
The court emphasized that Damagum could only be removed through a national convention, reinforcing his position amid the factional dispute.
The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit, numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/579/2024, filed by Senator Umar Maina against the PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT), among others.
Compounding the situation, a national officer of the party revealed in an interview with ThisDay that one of the key allegations against Damagum involves claims of abuse of office.
Specifically, he is accused of exceeding his financial limits by donating significant funds to flood victims in Maiduguri, Borno State.
The source said, “The financial approval limits of the office of the acting national chairman was N10million, but when the acting national chairman went to Borno State to commiserate with the flood victims, he announced the donation of N35million without getting the necessary approval to do that by the NWC of the party.”
