PDP crisis deepens as National Chairman, Secretary accused of undermining Party’s interests
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A faction of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the acting National Chairman, Umar Iliya Damagum and National Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, of orchestrating a plot to undermine the Party’s interests in Rivers State.
The faction claimed that Damagum and Anyanwu were working against the Party’s legal team, led by National Legal Adviser, Mr. Kamaldeen Ajibade SAN, in a court case involving the defection of 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The faction, led by Rep. Ikenga Ugochinyere alleged, in a press statement made available to journalists, in Abuja, that Damagum and Anyanwu had filed an appeal against an interim court order restraining the APC members from taking any action, despite the National Legal Adviser’s decision to withdraw the appeal.
This action, they claimed, was a blatant disregard for the Party’s Constitution and a betrayal of the trust placed in them as leaders.
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The opposition spokesman said further that Damagun and Anyawu were opposing the National Legal Adviser’s move to ensure that the pro-Nyesom Wike sacked APC lawmakers, who decamped from the PDP, were ‘neutralised’ and stopped from doing any harm to PDP interest but the PDP Chairman and Secretary were working in favour of the sacked pro-Wike APC lawmakers to help them regain lost legitimacy to aid them make another attempt towards their impossible dream of removal of their own PDP Governor Siminalayi Fubara-led government in the state.
The case, marked PHC/2177/CS/2024, centres on a dispute over the defection of 27 PDP members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on December 11, 2023.
Hon. Ugochinyere explained that the Rivers State High Court had previously issued an Ex-parte Order, on July 8, 2024, restraining key state officials from interacting with the defected lawmakers.
However, he alleged that former Governor Wike, in what he described as an ‘anti-party’ manoeuvre, retained Dr. J.Y. Musa SAN, to file an unauthorised appeal against this order, despite opposition from the PDP’s National Legal Adviser, Mr. Ajibade SAN.
He said, “The National Legal Adviser, constitutionally empowered to protect the interests of the PDP, had already moved to withdraw the appeal on July 24, 2024, recognizing its potential harm to the party,” Ugochinyere stated.
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“However, in a shocking turn of events, on August 15, 2024, Damagum and Anyanwu sent a letter to the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, dissociating themselves from the withdrawal, effectively undermining the Legal Adviser’s authority.”
The Opposition Coalition lawmakers argue that this action by the party’s leadership is part of a broader scheme to destabilize the PDP in Rivers State and pave the way for the APC’s political ambitions.
They claimed that this was not an isolated incident but part of a pattern of interference by Damagum and Anyanwu in several other legal cases in Abuja and Port Harcourt, all allegedly aimed at weakening the PDP.
Ugochinyere warned of dire consequences if this “plot” is allowed to succeed, including the erosion of internal democracy within the PDP, potential fragmentation of the party, loss of public trust, and significant legal and financial repercussions. He called for immediate action, including reaffirming the authority of the National Legal Adviser, taking legal steps to restrain the National Chairman and Secretary from further interference, and convening a disciplinary committee to investigate their actions.
“The PDP must stand united in the face of this betrayal,” Ugochinyere urged. “We call on all members of the PDP and well-meaning Nigerians to join us in defending the integrity of our party and ensuring that justice prevails.”
