Bauchi State Governor and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Senator Bala Muhammad, has announced that the forum is collaborating with the acting national chairman of the party and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) to facilitate the return of the national chairmanship to the North Central.
Bala made this statement yesterday while addressing journalists in Bauchi after a meeting with NWC members led by National Legal Adviser Kamaludden Ajibade (SAN).
He said, “My brother from the North East is currently acting as the National Chairman, which is a constitutional aberration. According to our Constitution, any vacancy in a leadership position should be filled by the region from which it was originally created.”
Bala continued, “The North Central has long desired this position. We have discussed the issue and will work with the chairman, the NWC, and the party to ensure that North Central is given the opportunity to assume this responsibility.”
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He added, “The North East also benefited from a similar constitutional arrangement after the resignation of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. Our former Governor, Ahmadu Muazu, became the National Chairman of the PDP. This is not a matter of contention, by the grace of God.”
The acting national chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, told Weekend Trust (a sister publication of Daily Trust) in an exclusive interview last week that while he was not desperate to retain the chairmanship, there was nothing in the constitution that mandated the position must remain in the North Central.
Damagum stated, “People often interpret the constitution as they wish. The purpose of having two deputy chairmen is to cover the North and South. If the chairman is from the North and leaves, the deputy from the North steps in. The constitution does not specify North Central or North East.”
He added, “When the chairmanship was zoned to the North, we all agreed as a region that North Central should take it. I’m the deputy from the North, and I haven’t yet moved into the chairman’s office.”
‘No one can set my state on fire; we stand by our position on Wike, Fubara’
Meanwhile, Governor Bala has reiterated that the party’s governors’ forum stands by its decision to support Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara as the leader of the PDP in the state.
Earlier, he responded to recent comments by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, stating, “Nobody can set fire to Bauchi because we have a volume of water to quench it.”
Bala acknowledged tensions with Wike but emphasised the need for leadership and adherence to party rules.
Wike had previously threatened to “set fire” to states controlled by PDP governors who attempted to alter the party’s structure in Rivers State.
In related news, members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party met with Wike at his Abuja office yesterday. The BoT, led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, has been engaging with key stakeholders to address tensions between Rivers State Governor Fubara and the FCT minister. The BoT recently persuaded Fubara to remain with the party and promised to work on resolving his issues with Wike.
It was reported that Tuesday’s closed-door meeting with Wike was part of these efforts. However, following the meeting, neither Wike nor the BoT members spoke to the press.
By Hassan Ibrahim, Ahmed Mohammed (Bauchi), Hussein Yahaya & Baba Martins (Abuja)
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