Author: The Nation

Immediate past chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Iliya Damagum, on Tuesday formally handed over the party’s affairs to the newly elected National Working Committee during the November 15–16 national convention in Ibadan.

At the handover ceremony, the new National Chairman, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, said his leadership is committed to returning the PDP to the people. He described the party as “the party to beat” in Nigeria and acknowledged ongoing efforts by some to undermine it.

Recalling the commitment of the outgoing leadership, Turaki said, “Immediately after our election at the convention in Ibadan, you promised that you and members of the executive would prepare a comprehensive handover note to help us understand where you were coming from and where you were at the time of your departure, so we could navigate the affairs of this party. Today, as God would have it, that pledge has been fulfilled. We cannot thank you enough for what you have done for us.”

He assured the former leadership of their continued engagement, saying, “We are up to the task. We will continue to take inspiration, guidance, and advice from you. Though you are out, you are not gone. We will need your support and uncommon guidance, because, as the saying goes, the woman who first becomes a mother will certainly have more broken hopes than the one who comes after.”

Turaki emphasised that the outgoing leadership still has much to contribute toward elevating the PDP to the highest level it aspires to reach during the next four years.

“We are today at a crossroads, because we are in a situation where some believe that the PDP must be killed, the PDP must be destroyed, the PDP must be isolated because of the threat we pose to them. But the fact remains that in a democracy, you should live and let others live.

“We have promised since our assumption of office that we are taking this party back to the Nigerian people. This party is called the People’s Party, and if it is the People’s Party, we must take it back to the people. We said there would be no impunity, no injustice. There will be a level playing field, transparency, and, above all, fairness.

“I want to affirm, on behalf of the new members of the NWC, that we still stand by that pledge we made in Ibadan

“The handover report of your stewardship is in two volumes. This is Volume 1, and this is Volume 2. I assure you, Your Excellency, that we will sit down, examine the reports carefully, and take guidance from whatever is inside.

“Once again, I want to assure Nigerians that the PDP is on the rise again, and there is no stopping us. Thank you very much.”

In his brief remarks, Damagun said, “This handover for us is part of our responsibility to address this NWC. We ought to have done it immediately after we came out of the National Convention, but we have been trying to compile our handover note, realising time. There is no better time than now. It is better late than never.

“Today, I am presenting my stewardship so that it will serve as a guide as you navigate the leadership of this party. I know it is coming at a time when we are bedevilled by many challenges. The beauty of the PDP is its ability to surmount all obstacles we have faced and to continue to overcome every challenge by doing what is right.

“The PDP is still the party to beat in this country. That is why you see that they (the ruling APC) are losing sleep. Every day, we cross one hurdle; they place another before us, we cross it, and continue. All this happens by God’s blessing.

“The most important thing is that we are people of faith who believe God will always see us through. We are positive. In other words, God is a just God and does not support injustice. You may have temporary respite through your injustices, but when God’s justice descends on you, then you realise that He alone is absolute.