Dino Melaye Declares PDP is ‘Once Upon a Time,’ Accuses Leaders of Destroying Party

Dino Melaye, the 2023 Kogi State governorship candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has criticized the opposition party, alleging it has become commercialized and privatized.

In a Saturday post on his X account, Melaye declared that the PDP has lost its significance in Nigeria’s political arena. He placed blame on the acting PDP national chairman, Iliya Damagum, national secretary Samuel Anyanwu, and national organizing secretary Umar Bature for allegedly dismantling the party.

Melaye wrote, “End of the road for PDP as Damagum, Bature and Anyanwu irredeemably destroyed the party. We will talk about the commercialisation and privatisation of PDP. PDP is now once upon a time.”

The PDP has faced internal dissent, with lawmakers in the House of Representatives leveling serious accusations against Damagum and Anyanwu. Members of the Opposition Coalition alleged that the party leaders were secretly aiding former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly in a bid to impeach Rivers State Governor Sim Fubara.

Ikenga Ugochinyere, the coalition’s spokesperson and a member of the House of Representatives for Ideato Federal Constituency, outlined what he called a deliberate effort by Damagum and Anyanwu to undermine the PDP from within.

In response, during the inauguration of the PDP National Reconciliation and Disciplinary Committees in Abuja on Thursday, Damagum dismissed the calls for his resignation. He asserted that no one could intimidate him into stepping down and criticized those spreading misinformation about the National Working Committee’s (NWC) operations, claiming that such actions were only boosting his popularity.