PDP in coma, needs urgent rescue – Fayose

Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stands no chance of returning to power soon unless unity is restored within its ranks.

Fayose, who threw his weight behind the suspension of the party’s National Chairman, Umar Damagum, by a faction of the PDP, also hailed the emergence of the National Vice Chairman (North Central), Mohammed Abdulrahman, as Acting National Chairman.

Speaking with journalists in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, Fayose urged Abdulrahman to take immediate steps to reconcile aggrieved members across state chapters, rebuild the party structure and prepare for a national convention.

He lamented that the PDP had lost its direction and described its current state as “hopeless” and “a shadow of itself.”

He said, “The party needs a leader who can reunite everybody at this time. So, I congratulate Abdulrahman, and I want to assure all party members that it is a new beginning.

“There is no hope of PDP coming back for now. Even the captains of our boat are jumping ship. They are moving from one bed to another. So, who is going to hold the party together?

“PDP has reasonably gone into extinction, unfortunately. The Damagum-led National Working Committee are undertakers — they have come to bury the party. It will interest you that they are leaving in less than one or two months, yet they are still suspending and counter-suspending members. But you never can tell; you may find a doctor in Abdulrahman who is willing to turn the tables around for the party. Right now, however, the party is in a coma.”

Fayose also compared Damagum’s ordeal to that of former National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu, saying his suspension signaled the end of his tenure.

He maintained that Damagum’s leadership lacked competence and direction.

He added, “In the first place, he was not supposed to be the chairman. He only represented an interregnum but manipulated the process to become chairman and caused so much confusion everywhere. It shows that Damagum has been incompetent; he does not have what it takes to operate in that office.”

The former governor appealed to Abdulrahman to restore order in the party and ensure compliance with court directives for congresses before the national convention.

He expressed confidence that the new leadership would stabilise the PDP and steer it toward recovery.