Senior special adviser on Media and Publicity to former Vice President Namadi Sambo, Umar Sani, has said invoking security agencies in the ongoing internal crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) could exacerbate the situation and make it harder to resolve.
He made this statement during an interview with ARISE NEWS yesterday, following the caution given to suspended members of PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC), not to attempt to force their way into the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, otherwise they risk facing the wrath of security operatives.
The NWC issued the warning in Abuja in response to members of the party’s faction, led by its national treasurer, Yayari Mohammed.
Sani stated, “To me, invoking security agencies into an internal matter, I think it is going beyond common sense. This is a matter that even internally, there are moves to resolve the issue.
So if these moves are already ongoing, bringing security agencies will further worsen the matter and will make it much more unsolvable.”
Sani highlighted the critical role of the PDP Governors’ Forum, describing it as the party’s strongest pressure group, which has now become more active in addressing the crisis. He pointed out that while a court order has prevented certain actions, such as the removal of party officials, it does not prevent the party from taking disciplinary measures or suspensions.
He said, “The issue is most people have reduced the argument to Abubakar Atiku and Nyesom Wike, but that is beside the point. The Governors’ Forum which is the strongest pressure group within the party was formerly sleeping but now they have woken up. Even within the Governors’ Forum, you can see the power play and the politics within the Governors’ Forum. The Governors’ Forum appears to be spearheading the issue of the resolution of the crisis. So, for anybody to say there is no crisis, and that is because there was a court order and that court order is sacrosanct and nothing can be done, the court order didn’t say that PDP should not function as a political party. The court order didn’t say that people cannot be suspended. The court order said you cannot remove, but it didn’t say you cannot suspend, it didn’t say you cannot do certain things, you cannot discipline.”
Addressing the lack of disciplinary action against Wike, Sani noted that there was no disciplinary committee at the time Wike allegedly committed infractions. However, with the recent establishment of a committee headed by Chief Tom Ikimi, Sani urged patience, saying the committee should be allowed to complete its work before conclusions are drawn about whether Wike is being treated as though he is above the party.
He noted, “There was no disciplinary committee as at the time he was committing these infractions. At the moment, we have a disciplinary committee headed by Chief Tom Ikimi and they have just started working and they have not concluded their assignment for us to come to the inevitable conclusion that he is a super human being and he is above the party. Let us allow the disciplinary committee to work first. And let us see whether at the end of their assignment, they will not recommend for any disciplinary action against him.”
Sani also addressed the broader implications of the party’s internal strife, highlighting that it has prevented the PDP from functioning as an effective opposition to the ruling party. He said, “The party seems to be stagnant and it is a party that ought to be the most vibrant opposition, providing the needed opposition and challenge to the ruling party. Instead of us fighting the opposition, we are fighting ourselves.”
Despite the current tensions, Sani expressed optimism that the Governors’ Forum would be able to resolve the crisis amicably. He believes that the upcoming National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on October 24 will be crucial in determining the party’s path forward.
He expressed, “My hope for the party and my expectation is that this problem is not beyond the Governors’ Forum and I’m very confident that the Governors’ Forum will be able to resolve this matter amicably so that on the 24th of this month, the NEC will meet and take a final decision on this matter.”