The 2023 Kogi State governorship candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dino Melaye, has alleged that the party has been effectively erased from Nigeria's political landscape. In a recent post on his X handle, Melaye accused the acting PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagum, National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, of being responsible for the party's downfall.
Melaye, a former senator representing Kogi West, claimed that under the leadership of Damagum, Anyanwu, and Bature, the PDP has been "commercialized and privatized," leading to its decline. He stated, "End of the road for PDP as Damagum, Bature, and Anyanwu irredeemably destroyed the party. We will talk about the commercialization and privatization of PDP. PDP is now once upon a time."
These remarks come amid accusations from some PDP members of the House of Representatives in Rivers State, who alleged that Damagum and Anyanwu are attempting to undermine the party in an ongoing legal dispute involving state lawmakers aligned with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
The controversy stems from a letter issued by Interim National Chairman Ambassador Umar Damagum on August 16, 2024, co-signed by Senator Samuel Anyanwu, addressed to the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt. The letter asserted that the party had not authorized the filing of a Notice of Discontinuance on July 24 in a case involving the PDP at the Appeal Court.
Some PDP lawmakers, led by Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, alleged that Damagum and Anyanwu were plotting to undermine the party’s interests in Rivers State by colluding with pro-Wike APC elements to impeach Governor Siminilaye Fubara. Ugochinyere called for immediate action, including reinstating the authority of the national legal adviser and investigating the actions of the party leaders.
This internal conflict has sparked concerns about the future of the PDP, with many party members questioning the direction the leadership is taking and its impact on the party's standing in Nigerian politics.
