The new acting chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abdulrahman Mohammed, Monday, assumed office at the Wadata Plaza in Abuja, vowing to reposition the party.
Shortly after resuming, the party’s National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, received him, after which he took him round the premises.
Abdulrahman, who stormed the party national secretariat with multitude of supporters, emerged a few hours after the Ambassador Illiya Umar Damagum’s National Working Committee (NWC) faction, suspended Anyanwu, the party legal adviser, Kamaldeeen Ajibade and other NWC members.
While addressing newsmen at the Wadata Plaza, Abdulrahman said he was ready to heal the party of its wounds and end factionalisation.
He also vowed to reposition the party and make it law abiding.
He said, “We are all aware of the current pitiable state of our glorious party because of the actions and inactions of our leaders and members.
“From being the ruling party for 16 uninterrupted years to being an opposition party for over 10 years now at the national level, from being a formidable opposition to a now humbled opposition owing to the unexplainable, unconscionable defections of Governors, Legislators and Council Chairmen, et al.
“I have accepted to become Acting National Chairman at this difficult time through the mercy of God and the instrumentality of very critical stakeholders of this party.
“My job here as Acting National Chairman is simple.
“It is important to bring our party back to the people, and I shall Allah, under my leadership, we shall do that.
“From the ward, local government, there is going to be strict adherence to the party constitution.
“This is not time for blamegame but time to stick together and reposition PDP.
“I will work with my team and work for the people. We will ensure that I a short period of time, PDP gets to the destination as we pilot it.
“Heal the party of its wounds and end factionalisation, reposition the party and make it law abiding.
“And to plan an all-inclusive National Convention, and hand over to a properly elected National Working Committee (NWC), after concluding all the outstanding congresses at the Zonal, State, Local Government and Ward levels. Hand over this our beloved party back to her true owners, the Nigerian people.
“I want to assure all PDP faithful’s, critical stakeholders, and Nigerians at large that a new dawn has come and with it the Renaissance of the PDP.
“I can not do this seemingly difficult job alone, I will need all your support, prayers, and genuine commitment to join hands on lifting our party the PDP upwards.
“Consultations are already ongoing, and in due course, we will have our NEC meeting.”
Also speaking, the party’s national secretary, Senator Anyanwu, congratulated the new acting national chairman, describing his emergence as a collective decision of the NWC of the party, saying, “We cannot afford to have a vacuum hence his emergence and we are going to work with him.
“We will also have a meeting to be able to forge ahead, and we are going to cooperate with him.”
At the secretariat, uniformed policemen were seen within and outside the secretariat
The take-over was not without a mild drama.
Anyanwu was almost prevented from entering his office by a section of the staff until intervention came from his supporters.
Findings by Blueprint.ng also revealed that Damagum initially planned to address pressmen at the secretariat but was not in sight as of the time of filing this report.
Information also filtered out that the Anyanwu was on the verge of taking over the Legacy House, another party’s office located in the Maitama area in Abuja.
Meanwhile, shortly after Abdulrahman addressed newsmen at about 12:20 p.m., the policemen on the ground chased both staff and journalists out of the premises.
Although, reasons were not given, it appears the security agencies’ plan was to forestall possible breakdown of law and order.
