Cynthia Ezegwu
Factional Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, has blamed the lingering crisis rocking the opposition party on years of disobedience to its constitution and the unchecked personal ambitions of some of its leaders.
Speaking on Arise News on Monday, Ohuabunwa described the PDP’s internal wranglings as self-inflicted, saying they stemmed from a consistent disregard for the party’s founding rules and principles.
“We got to this point for no other reason than disobedience to our own constitution. If we had kept to our laws and obeyed our own rules, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Unfortunately, we have refused to learn our lessons,” he said.
The former senator, who now leads a parallel PDP BoT, said his faction was formed to “recover and reconcile the party,” which, he claimed, had lost its moral compass.
According to him, the party’s repeated crises since 2015 were driven by personal ambition and greed, with some members using the platform merely as a vehicle for their presidential aspirations.
“From the history of the PDP, every crisis has been about who wants to be president. People leave the party, come back, and want to take the front seat immediately — even contesting the highest position. Our constitution clearly states that when you leave and return, you lose your seniority and start afresh. But people come back and expect to lead. That is unfair and one of the main reasons for our problems,” he said.
Ohuabunwa maintained that unlike those who defected when things did not favour them, he and other loyal members had remained steadfast in keeping the party afloat.
“I am a pioneer member of the PDP. I have never left for one day. Even when my state government, Abia, went under another party, I stayed with the PDP. Many of us have committed our time and resources to keeping this party alive, but others only think of themselves,” he added.
The former lawmaker also faulted the handling of the party’s leadership succession following the resignation of former National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, describing it as a breach of the PDP’s zoning principle.
“When Ayu left, the constitution made it clear that the North Central should produce his replacement. In the interim, Ambassador Damagum, as Deputy National Chairman (North), stepped in — but it was supposed to be temporary. Up till now, that replacement has not been made. Instead, the party went ahead to suspend key officers like the National Secretary, the National Organising Secretary, and the Legal Adviser — the main pillars of the party. Once you remove these key officers, the house will collapse,” he said.
Reacting to claims that his factional BoT was illegitimate, Ohuabunwa said his group acted in accordance with the PDP constitution after the existing BoT became “complicit and partisan.”
“The truth is that there are now two parallel National Working Committees. When one group suspended the other, we had to act because the BoT, which is supposed to be the conscience of the party, took sides. Our BoT was formed in line with the constitution, from members who align with this vision. It may not include everyone yet, but others will join once they see that we are doing the right thing,” he explained.
He insisted that the faction’s mission was to restore discipline, unity and constitutional order to the PDP.
“We have come to recover the party and reconcile. Over time, we’ve been disobeying our own constitution, and the BoT kept quiet. If we had intervened earlier, there wouldn’t be any need for factionalisation,” he said.
On the recognition of the Umar Damagum-led faction by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ohuabunwa dismissed it as a misunderstanding, noting that INEC’s correspondence predated the emergence of the faction.
“Before now, a letter had been written to INEC for different congresses and primaries, signed by both Damagum and the National Secretary, Sam Anyanwu. So INEC’s recognition isn’t new. That letter predates the emergence of this faction,” he clarified.
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Ohuabunwa maintained that the creation of his faction was both constitutional and necessary to rescue the PDP from further decline.
“Yes, we are a faction, but we are the conscience of the party. Our mission is to recover the PDP and make it what it was meant to be — a disciplined, democratic institution guided by its constitution,” he declared.
The crisis within the PDP deepened after the Umar Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC) suspended National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade, and two others for alleged anti-party activities.
In retaliation, a faction led by Anyanwu announced the suspension of Damagum and five NWC members, accusing them of incompetence and financial misconduct.
The Anyanwu faction also appointed Mohammed Abdulrahman as Acting National Chairman and Mao Ohuabunwa as BoT Chairman — a move the Damagum-led NWC dismissed as illegitimate, describing Abdulrahman as an impostor and reaffirming the suspension of Anyanwu’s group.