Sophia Michaels
The acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagum, and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have been accused by a member of the House of Representatives, Ikenga Ugochinyere, of working to reinstate the 27 defected Rivers State lawmakers back into the PDP fold.
Recall that these lawmakers had earlier switched allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in December 2023.
However, during a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Ugochinyere, representing Ideato South/Ideato North Federal Constituency of Imo State, detailed alleged clandestine legal manoeuvres aimed at undermining the PDP’s stance in Rivers State.
According to him, these actions include filing legal documents secretly to challenge the vacancy declaration of the 27 defectors’ seats, thereby breaching party loyalty and judicial processes.
“We have irrefutable evidence that the PDP, under the direction of Umar Damagum and with the legal aid of Kamaldeen Ajibade, engaged Joshua Musa, SAN—a known associate of Minister Wike—to file motions that contravene the party’s directive,” Ugochinyere claimed.
He noted that these motions were designed to obstruct the Rivers State House of Assembly’s efforts to declare the defectors’ seats vacant.
The controversy deepens with allegations of a $2 million bribe, purportedly accepted by figures orchestrating these legal challenges, although Ugochinyere clarified that his statements were confined to verifiable facts rather than unproven allegations.
This internal conflict emerges amidst broader political manipulations, with Ugochinyere accusing Damagum of employing delay tactics in stepping down from his position, which was purportedly decided during a National Executive Committee meeting to facilitate a peaceful transition to a new chairman from North Central.
Adding to the political intrigue, the PDP chieftain criticized the misuse of legal ex parte orders and the unopposed strange court actions, which he described as manoeuvres allowing APC influences within PDP’s structural hierarchy.
“It’s disheartening to see our party structures being hijacked by those who should be our political adversaries,” Ugochinyere lamented.
He urged the PDP’s National Executive Committee, the Board of Trustees, and all stakeholders to reassess the party’s leadership dynamics to safeguard its integrity and future.
