Dino Melaye, the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate for Kogi State in 2023, has stated that the opposition party has been commercialised and privatised.
In a Saturday post on his X Twitter, the former Kogi West Senator claimed that the PDP has lost significance in the country’s political landscape.
Melaye accused the acting PDP national chairman, Iliya Damagum, the national secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, and the national organising secretary, Umar Bature, of dismantling the party.
He wrote, “End of the road for PDP as Damagum, Bature, and Anyanwu irredeemably destroyed the party. We will talk about the commercialisation and privatisation of PDP. PDP is now once upon a time.”
Speaking to our correspondent on Saturday, PDP spokesman Debo Ologunagba rejected that the party has been commercialised, stating that every party has problems and internal squabbles.
He said, “The party is not commercialised. I don’t know what he means by that. The party is standing.
“Every party has its own challenges because they are managing people with different interests, backgrounds, considerations, and aspirations, and it is the capacity of the party that makes it a successful party. Upon then, there will be challenges.
“When you have systems and processes that allow for those challenges, it shows that the party is not properly run. At each stage, there are other organs of the party, such as the Board of Trustees, the National Executive Committee, the Governors’ Forum, and the National Working Committee.
“There are safety nets for the management of the party and for review of processes in such a way that the party can reconcile all those competing and conflicting interests, so that’s what we do. So that the party is commercialised, well, I don’t know.
“I don’t want to speak to that. I don’t know what he means by commercialisation. I would assume that commercialisation means when you are selling something and you’re receiving money for sale, which is what Melaye referred to, and that’s not correct.”
Speaking further, Ologunagba refuted Melaye’s argument that the party is losing significance, noting that the party has 13 governors and members of the National Assembly.
“If the PDP is once upon a time party, we won’t have 13 governors, House of Representatives members, and Senate members. So, I don’t know what he is referring to.
“In Edo State, for instance, if we are once upon a time, other members of the opposition won’t be joining our party, and we also have an outstanding candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo. If you go to Ondo State, people are moving into our party, decamping every day because the hope of Nigeria is in the PDP.
“We recognise that, and that’s why we do our processes in such a way that Nigerians can begin to have the nostalgia of the good years of PDP so that we can get back to government in 2027, and that’s exactly what we are doing.
“So to say that the party has lost its relevance, that’s not correct. The party is strong. Yes, the party has challenges, and we must admit that because that is normal in human relations, we can’t take our eyes off the main issue of governance and providing for the good people of Nigeria. The claim is a misrepresentation of the fact. and that’s not the position of the party.”
PDP legislators in the House of Representatives made severe allegations against Damagum and Anyanwu.
The legislator, who is affiliated with the Opposition Coalition, accused party officials of a clandestine scheme to destroy the PDP by providing legal support to defected former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly in order to impeach Rivers State Governor Sim Fubara.
Speaking on behalf of the alliance, Ikenga Ugochinyere, a member of the House of Representatives representing Ideato Federal Constituency, portrayed a series of events as a deliberate attempt by Damagum and Anyanwu to weaken the PDP from inside.
Damagum responded to the inauguration of the PDP National Reconciliation and Disciplinary Committees in Abuja on Thursday, warning that no one can frighten him into leaving.
Damagum chastised individuals who promote falsehoods regarding NWC operations, claiming that those demanding his resignation are merely increasing his popularity.
