The Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ambassador Umar Ilyas Damagum, has expressed confidence that those who recently left the party to align with other political platforms will eventually return, describing the PDP as the most inclusive and resilient party in Nigeria.
Speaking after a three-hour closed-door meeting with the National Working Committee (NWC) at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday, Damagum reaffirmed the party’s internal cohesion and readiness to reposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Those who have left are only taking a temporary leave,” Damagum declared. “They’ll come back. The PDP remains the most accommodating platform for genuine democrats. If you think of leaving, think again and if you go, we’ll be here when you return.”
Flanked by the PDP National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the acting chairman announced that the party’s next National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting has been scheduled for July 23–25. He added that other critical meetings would also hold during the three-day window to set strategic direction for the party.
Damagum cautioned those attempting to sabotage the party from within, warning that the PDP would not hesitate to act against any individual or group working to tarnish its image.
Addressing what he described as political intimidation and inducement of party members by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Damagum dismissed the tactics as futile. “Let it be clear, the APC cannot buy or bully our people. In 2027, power will return to the people, not to the highest bidder,” he said.
He decried the current state of the nation under APC leadership, citing widespread hunger, insecurity, and human rights abuses, and insisted that the PDP remains the most experienced party when it comes to managing internal disputes and delivering governance.
“In spite of our challenges, the PDP has remained Nigeria’s most enduring political institution,” Damagum noted. “We understand our internal mechanisms and we’ve resolved major cracks.”
Notably, the meeting featured reconciliatory gestures among party leaders who had previously been at odds. Warm exchanges were observed between Senator Anyanwu, Chief Ali Odefa, Mr. Debo Ologunagba, Ambassador Timothy Arapaja, Architect Setonji Koshoedo, and Alhaji Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), a sign of a renewed spirit of unity in the party.
Damagum concluded his address without entertaining questions from the press.
Meanwhile, in a parallel political development, key opposition figures including former Governor Peter Obi, ex-Ministers Rotimi Amaechi and Nasir El-Rufai, convened at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre for the formal launch of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), signaling what observers describe as the beginning of a new political realignment ahead of the 2027 polls.
