Adebayo Adenrele
Ayodele Fayose, a former Governor of Ekiti State, has said that the suspended Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagum, will suffer the same political fate as former PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, who was removed in 2024 after a prolonged leadership crisis.
Speaking during a press briefing in Ado Ekiti over the weekend, Fayose said the PDP had once again found itself at a familiar crossroads where internal manipulation and disregard for due process had weakened its foundation.
He described Damagum as a product of political compromise whose leadership brought confusion and stagnation to the opposition party.
The former governor congratulated the new Acting PDP National Chairman, Mohammed Abdurrahman, urging him to reunite the fractured party and restore internal democracy.
Fayose said Abdurrahman’s emergence marked a new beginning for the PDP, adding that the G5 group and other concerned stakeholders would give him their full cooperation.
He further called on Abdurrahman to correct anomalies in various state chapters and prepare for a proper national convention, in line with court directives mandating state congresses before the convention.
His words, “You will recall that this is the same way Ayu’s crisis started. The former chairman Damagum, will go the way of Ayu I can assure you. His last service to the party was before the suspension. He will not return to that office.
“The PDP needs a leader who can bring everyone together again. Abdurrahman must rescue the party’s dwindling image and reposition it for relevance”.
While clarifying that he was not a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Fayose expressed his support for Governor Biodun Oyebanji, praising him over his giant strides across all sectors in Ekiti.
“I will never be APC, but I will not condemn what is good simply because I’m in opposition. Oyebanji is doing well and I support him as an Ekiti man”. he added.
