By Emmanuel Oloniruha
The National Leadership of the Concerned PDP League (CPDPL) a political support group, says the PDP acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, is not one of the sponsors of the planned national peaceful protest.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) pro group, stated this in a statement jointly signed by its leader, Daboikiabo Warmate and National Secretary, Alhaji Tasiu Muhammad, on Tuesday in Abuja.
The group said that it attention was drawn to a call for the arrest and resignation of Damagum by a pro democracy group called the Conscience of Democracy in Nigeria (CDN), over Damagum’s support for the Aug. 1 planned protest.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we want to state that Damagum, is not one of the sponsors of the national peaceful protest.
“However, it’s within his inalienable rights and the rights of every right thinking and progressive citizens of our great country to participate in or support any peaceful protest as provided by the Nigeria Constitution 1999 as amended,” he said.
Warmate said that only a sponsored group and its self acclaimed leader, Adamu Matazu, would express their bereavement of the Nigerian constitution by claiming that Damagum was sponsoring the peaceful protest.
He said that as the leader of the largest opposition party in Africa, Damagum
had the capacity to mobilise members and leaders of PDP to stage a nationwide peaceful protest, if he wants to organise one.
He said that Damagum did not need to sponsor of anyone or group to mobilise PDP across Nigeria and the diaspora for such protest.
“Damagum is too big for a sponsored but unnoticed group to gauge or intimidate our great party and our dynamic acting national chairman,” he said.
He reminded Matazu, the self acclaimed leader and his group that the All Progressives Congress APC (APC) protested against PDP led government in 2014.
He added that the APC, a party who once championed a nationwide protest should not be afraid of a protest, but expected put in place measures for the protest not to be hijacked.
“The CPDPL therefore, condemn the call for the resignation, arrest and claim that, the national chairman of our great party is one of the sponsors of the national peaceful protest.
“We want to state unequivocally that, we stand with the position taken by our national chairman as regards the peaceful protest.
“We also demand for the arrest of Matazu for his unfounded claim of sponsorship of the peaceful protest,” he said.
