PDP Loss: Ologbondiyan Blames Acting Chairman Damagum for Ondo, Edo Election Losses

Former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kola Ologbondiyan, has expressed concerns over the leadership of the party under its Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, blaming him for the party’s poor performance in recent off-season elections.

Speaking to the PDP Renaissance Group in Abuja on Sunday, Ologbondiyan criticized Damagum’s leadership following the party’s defeat in the Ondo State governorship election held on Saturday. He warned that the PDP risks becoming irrelevant if decisive action is not taken to strengthen its leadership.

“It is reprehensible that the Acting National Chairman is supervising the disintegration of the party,” Ologbondiyan said, calling on the National Executive Committee (NEC) to elect a substantive chairman from the North Central region during its November 28 meeting. He cited Section 47(6) of the PDP Constitution (2017 Amendment) as the basis for this demand.

Ologbondiyan accused Damagum of showing little interest in ensuring the party’s electoral success, alleging that his leadership failures contributed to the PDP’s losses in Kogi, Imo, and Ondo states. He warned that upcoming elections in Anambra, Ekiti, and Osun could follow a similar trajectory if urgent changes are not made.

He also alleged that Damagum held a secret meeting with President Bola Tinubu in London, describing the act as inappropriate for the leader of an opposition party. “How can the head of the leading opposition party be accused of clandestinely meeting with the President of the ruling government, and yet offer no explanation?” he asked.

Ologbondiyan urged PDP leaders to act swiftly to rescue the party from what he described as Damagum’s mismanagement, emphasizing the need for revitalized leadership to restore the PDP’s relevance as a formidable opposition force. “The PDP must reclaim its position as a credible alternative to the ruling party,” he concluded.