PDP Crisis Intensifies as Dino Melaye Declares End of the Road for the Party
Dino Melaye, the 2023 Kogi State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has rocked the party by announcing its demise. In a viral post on his social media handle on Saturday, the former Kogi West Senator made the bold statement, accusing three top party leaders of destroying the organization.
Melaye’s outburst targeted Iliya Damagum, the acting PDP national chairman; Samuel Anyanwu, the national secretary; and Umar Bature, the national organising secretary. He alleged that the trio had commercialized and privatized the party, leading to its downfall.
“Melaye’s statement comes at a time when PDP lawmakers in the House of Representatives had already expressed concerns about the actions of Damagum and Anyanwu. Specifically, they accused the leaders of working to sabotage the party by providing legal backing for former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, who had defected to opposition parties. The ultimate goal of the alleged plot, according to these lawmakers, was to impeach Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State.
The party’s plight has been further compounded by a claim made by Ikenga Ugochinyere, a PDP lawmaker representing Ideato Federal Constituency, listing several events he believed to be a calculated attempt by Damagum and Anyanwu to weaken the PDP.
In response to the criticism, Damagum has warned that nobody could intimidate him into resigning from his position. At the inauguration of the PDP National Reconciliation and Disciplinary Committees in Abuja on Thursday, he argued that those seeking his resignation were only enhancing his popularity and that he would not be deterred.
