The Opposition Lawmakers Coalition under the main Opposition Coalition umbrella, the CUPP, on Saturday, accused the PDP’s acting National Chairman, Mr. Umar Iliya Damagum, and National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, of a covert plot to sabotage the PDP’s interests in an ongoing legal battle involving defected former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The federal lawmakers group said the plot was part of a desperate and shameful effort by Damagum and Anyanwu to betray their own party, destroy all legal efforts and aid the pro-Wike APC elements have the legal backing to attempt their impossible plot of removing the PDP government led by Governor Siminalayi Fubara out of office.
Speaking on behalf of the Opposition Coalition, their spokesperson and leading member of the House of Representatives representing Ideato Federal Constituency, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, detailed a series of events that he described as a calculated attempt by Damagum and Anyanwu to weaken the PDP from inside and undermine its legal standing in a high-profile court case that will see pro-Wike sacked APC state lawmakers gaining legal ground to attempt to force PDP government out of office in Rivers State.
The opposition’s spokesman went further to state that the National Chairman of PDP Damagun and Secretary Anyanwu in a show of shame were allegedly opposing the National Legal Adviser of the party, Ajibade SAN’s move to ensure that the pro-Wike sacked APC lawmakers who decamped from PDP were neutralised and stopped from doing any harm to PDP interest.
He said the PDP Chairman and Secretary were working in favour of the pro-Wike APC sacked lawmakers to help them regain lost legitimacy to aid them make another attempt towards their impossible dream of removing their own PDP-led Rivers State government.
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.
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 Nyesom Wike, in what he described as an “anti-party” manoeuvre, retained Dr. J.Y. Musa, SAN, to file an unauthorised appeal against the order, despite opposition from the PDP’s National Legal Adviser, Mr. Ajibade, SAN.
“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.
“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’s lawmakers argued that this alleged action by the party’s leadership was part of a broader scheme to destabilise the PDP in Rivers State and pave the way for the APC’s political ambition. 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 the “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,” he stated.
The press conference ended with a pledge from the Opposition coalition to continue their fight to protect the PDP from internal and external threats, promising to keep the public informed of any further developments in the case.
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