By; ISAAC ODEH, Kaduna
A group, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Professionals Support Movement, has passed vote of confidence on the Chairman of the party, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum.
Chairman of the PDP professional group, Dr. Muazzam Lawal Sadauki while reacting to a call for the resignation of the chairman by some members of the green chamber of the National Assembly on Monday, said the party needs unity now ever than before, hence, the need for all hands to be on deck.
According to him, “some hired and misguided elements parading themselves as fifth grade are playing behind the curtains of creating political tension and unnecessary noise about the leadership of the party under Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum.
“We are concerned that some group of lawmakers in the House of Representatives would allow themselves to be misguided to issue a warning against the same party leadership that suffered and works tirelessly to deliver them to success.
“It is clear that their claims are nothing but an attempt to blackmail the party’s leadership into becoming a target or frenzy of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting under the leadership of Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum. They just don’t want him to succeed in holding the NEC and Caucus meetings respectively.
“We are of the view that our Honourable members could have sought an audience and discussed issues affecting the party with the leadership of the party rather than hurriedly going to the Press to address any issue that was supposed to be a family affair.
“We, therefore, advise these PDP lawmakers to apologise immediately and seek understanding with the leadership of the party instead of grieving unnecessarily.
“The play of gallery and comedy of error in that Press conference is a ploy for creating diversionary issues that are important to the political development of our great party.
“We see it as a mistake and confrontational to openly threaten to dump the party, or demand for the removal of a constitutional body, especially acting national chairman Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum”, he said.
The group however passed a vote of confidence on Damagum’s led party leadership, urging him not to relent in his effort to reposition the party ahead of the coming elections.
“While assuring our support to the party’s leadership, we want the Acting Chairman of the PDP to remain focused, resolute, and confident about building bridges of peace, reconciliation, and unity among the party’s supporters across the country.
“On behalf of the entire discipline and supporters of the party, we are confident with the leaderships of the present NWC, under Amb Umar Iliya Damagum, the Board of Trustees (BoT), and PDP Governors’ Forum among others.
