Kola Ologbondiyan, the former National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, has responded to remarks made by Nyesom Wike, the FCT Minister, about the process of removing Umar Damagum as the acting National Chairman of the PDP. Wike had stated that Damagum could only be removed through a party convention, not by the National Executive Committee (NEC).
However, in a video shared by TVC from 10:30, Ologbodiyan said that the PDP’s constitution is very clear on this matter, particularly section 47(6) of the 2017 version as amended. He explained that this section has been consistently used over the years to replace national party officers without requiring a convention. Kola mentioned that previous national chairmen, such as Ali Modu Sheriff, Bamanga Tukur, and Adamu Mu’azu, were all elected through NEC processes, not conventions. He emphasized that there is no need for a convention to replace someone in office. According to Kola, the constitution does not support the claim that a convention is required for the removal or replacement of an acting National Chairman.
In Kola’s words: “When the Minister of FCT Wike made that declaration on Channels TV, I quickly pointed out that 47(6) of the constitution of the PDP 2017 as amended is unambiguous. It is a time tested provision of the constitution of the PDP. When Sheriff the former governor of Borno State was elected as national chairman, it was done by NEC”