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.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
