Has PDP Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum Resigned? Fact Emerges

• The claim concerning the PDP acting national chairman, Umar Damagum, has been fact-checked and the facts have now been established
• The PDP, which was founded in 1998, has remained a national political party and controlled the federal government for 16 years
• However, since it lost control at the national level in 2015, the party has been experiencing a series of leadership crises at different levels

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) has been a dominating political party in Nigeria's political space since its establishment in 1998.

The PDP was the ruling party from 1999 to 2015 in Nigeria and it has been faced with internal and leadership crises since its electoral defeat at the national level. So far, the party has struggled to reclaim its influence.

PDP challenges after the 2023 general election

Following the end of the 2023 general election, the PDP further had the challenges of division, while the majority of its members are calling for structural reforms and accountability from its leader.

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Amid the crisis, Umar Damagum was appointed as the acting national chairman of the party in March 2023 after its Iyorchia Ayu was removed from the position. Damagum's tenure had been marred with calls for his removal, particularly from members who insisted that North Central should retain the position to complete the tenure of Ayu.

Facebook post's claim on PDP governors

Amid the controversy, a Facebook user with the name @News in Naija in a post on March 15. The post included an image of Damagum, with a caption suggesting that the acting PDP national chairman had resigned.

The post claimed that the PDP governors have taken charge of the party as Damagum has stepped down. The Facebook post cited Arise TV as its source, adding that the development happened amid the PDP governors' effort to strengthen the party.

See one of the posts as shared here:

Furthermore, the post claimed that the PDP governors were making moves to unite the party ahead of the 2027 election, saying Damagum's resignation was strategic to their plan of restructuring. The Facebook post said the governors wanted to present a united front in the 2027 general election.

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The post has received comments, shares, likes and reposts by several others on Facebook. However, because of the ambiguity of the claim, Dubawa, a fact-checking organisation, has fact-checked the claim and verified its authenticity.

According to Dubara, there was no such report on AriseTV, the medium that the Facebook post mentioned as its source. Also, Damagum has denied the claim in a news report published by Business Day, where he urged Nigerians to regard it as "fake news".

Bode George speaks on PDP's fate

Legit.ng earlier reported that the PDP's fate in the 2027 presidential election had been predicted to be stronger ahead of the poll with the hope that its internal crisis would be solved before then.

Chief Bode George, former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, predicted on Wednesday, December 11.

George emphasised that an individual's ambition cannot override the PDP's principles of equality, justice and fairness.

Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.