Anti-party: You’ve lost the legitimacy to rule PDP, Calculate tells Damagum
• Urges Court to reprimand him for contempt
An frontline politician and associate of former vice president Atiku Abubakar, Umar Bello Jada aka Calculate has advised the axed acting national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Iliya Damagum to go home and rest, instead of stirring up unnecessary dust over his sack which is done in line with extant party constitutional provisions.
He emphasized that through his irrational and unconstitutional actions which led to his suspension, Damagum has lost the legitimacy to occupy the exalted seat of the national chairman of PDP.
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Following the intractable crisis in the party and accusations of disloyalty and dereliction of responsibility brought against the acting, national chairman, the NWC on Thursday ratified the suspension of Damagum and National Secretary of the party Samuel Anyanwu.
In a phone interview with our reporter, Calculate urged the court to as a matter of urgency reprimand Damagum for contempt and misleading it to take an action that will be invalidated by constitutional provisions and realities on ground.
“The fact of the matter is that Damagum has misled the court into granting an experte order of halting the process of his suspension after he was already suspended by the NWC. That action is contemptuous for which the court should reprimand Damagum as the action is ultra vires on account of the fact that Damagum was already suspended.
“Damagum should have obtained such order before he was suspended. After that his only saving grace is to file a suit challenging his suspension. If the court sees merit in his submission it can then reverse the process and reinstate him. But as it is now, his suspension stands despite the court injunction which he obtained by lying to the court. The court granted the injunction thinking that what Damagum presented was the truth. The same scenario is playing out in the emirate tussle in Kano ” Calculate said.
He noted that if the experte order given by the court should be strictly followed, then Damagum shouldn’t have become the acting national chairman of the PDP in the first place.
According to Calculate, an excerpt of the injunction opposing the appointment of the new chairman Ahmed Yayari which he obtained stated that the national chairman could only be appointed at the national convention.
“If that is true, then Damagum shouldn’t have become the acting national chairman in the first place because he did not come through national convention.
“We all know what transpired in the build up to the ratification of Damagum as acting national chairman. After the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu, the NWC sat and ratify his resignation which opened a window for the appointment of acting national chairman. Based on party statutes, when a national chairman vacates office on the premise of death, resignation or removal, the deputy national chairman from his zone will be appointed in his place.
“But before that, the NWC has to acknowledge and ratify a leadership vacuum after which it will also adopt the deputy national vice chairman from his zone to take over. Damagum became the acting national chairman based on his ratification by the NWC and he will serve in acting capacity until a national convention is held where he will be confirmed as the substantive chairman of the party if need be.
“So if that clause in the injunction is to be relied upon, then Damagum shouldn’t have become the acting national chairman. Based on that we should stop seeing him as ever occupying that position because he did not come through national convention,” Calculate added.
When asked whether the NWC has the powers to remove an acting national chairman, Calculate said the NWC has the constitutional remit to remove an acting national chairman if he is found wanting, noting that Damagum was suspended on account of disloyalty, lack of patriotism and disrespect for party constitution.
“The same NWC which ratify his appointment has the constitutional remit to suspend him if sufficient grounds were established. In the case of Damagum, sufficient grounds were established before he was axed. The NWC established a strong case of anti party against Damagum who allegedly conspired with dark forces to mortgage our party in Rivers State. The NWC took the decisive action to prevent Damagum from killing the only viable alternative to the maladministration being rooted in Nigeria today.
“The NWC followed all constitutional guidelines to the latter before they took the action. They formed quorum, they met the constitutional two third majority and they suspended him and appointed Ahmed Yayari to superintend the party till another national convention is held where he would be formally elected as the substantive national chairman of need be,” he said.
He accused Damagum of double standards and lack of principle adding that, it was preposterous and utterly demeaning for Damagum to seek solace from the chairman of PDP governors forum, Sen. Bala Mohammed whom he rebuked and disrespected to no avail.
“It is trite and utterly demeaning for Damagum now to run to governor Bala Mohammed whom he has rebuked, abused and discredited. It means he has no honour or shame otherwise he wouldn’t have confronted Mohammed regardless of the mess he has found himself in. At a point he even called for the suspension of gov Mohammed for demanding that governor of Rivers State Sim Fubara should be recognized as the leader of the party in the state. Any man with honour and sense of pride wouldn’t go so low just to get passing favours.
“But because of his depth of experience and leadership acumen, gov Mohammed was receptive to Damagum not because he deserved it but on account on extending olive oil to an aggrieved leader who fell from his olympian status,” he said.
