By Izunna Okafor, Awka
Members of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) have expressed concerns over what they described as the gross betrayal of the interest of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) by some key officers of its national leadership.
The group, comprising opposition lawmakers, raised the concern in a recent briefing with newsmen, where they also exposed and criticized some actions of the national officers of the party that are against the interest of the party.
Speaking on behalf of others, Spokesperson of CUPP and Imo lawmaker representing the Ideato Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Ugochinyere Michael Ikeagwuonu (popularly known as Ikenga Ugochinyere), accused the PDP Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagun; and the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu of plotting to “sell out” the party by pursuing and insisting on an appeal against the interest of the Party.
Hon. Ugochinyere, a prominent member of the PDP, exposed how the PDP National Chairman and Secretary are aiding and working hand-in-hand with the All Progressive Congress (APC) lawmakers in River State to impeach Governor Sim Fubara, who is a PDP Governor in the state.
It would be recalled that 27 former PDP members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, who are loyal to the former Governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, and who recently defected to the APC, engaged in a plot to impeach the State Governor, who is of PDP. The Rivers State High Court, however, issued an order, sacking and incapacitating these defected lawmakers from proceeding with their impeachment bid against the Governor, as they have lost their seats by virtue of the defection and cannot proceed with the impeachment plot.
Hon. Ugochinyere, however, exposed that some PDP national officers, in the persons of Damagum and Anyanwu are facilitating and supporting a secretly filed appeal in favour of these now-APC pro-Wike lawmakers against this court order —a plot, he argues, could lead to the destabilization of the PDP government in Rivers State.
Continuing, he revealed that the PDP’s National Legal Adviser, Mr. Kamaldeen Adeyemi Ajibade, had taken steps to withdraw the appeal illegally filed with PDP’s name on behalf of these sacked lawmakers.
He, however, said that this move and effort by the Legal Adviser, aimed at protecting the party’s interests, was being secretly undermined by Damagum and Anyanwu, who secretly sent a letter to the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, countering the Legal Adviser’s actions and saying that the party is not withdrawing the said appeal.
According to him, former Governor Wike, in what he described as an “anti-party” manoeuvre, retained Dr. J.Y. Musa, SAN, to file that unauthorized appeal with the name of PDP, challenging this court order that sacked these lawmakers.
“The National Legal Adviser, constitutionally empowered to protect the interests of the PDP, had already moved to withdraw this illegal filed appeal on July 24, 2024, recognizing its potential harm to the Party.
“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, thereby effectively undermining the Legal Adviser’s authority.
“This is a clear violation of our Party’s constitution and a betrayal of everything the PDP stands for,” he said.
Citing relevant sections of the party’s constitution, he said: “There shall be a National Legal Adviser of the party, who shall be a lawyer of no less than 10 years post-court; and whose function shall be:
“1. Advise the party on all legal matters; 2. Conduct all litigations; and prosecute and defend actions on behalf of the party; including its organs and officials; insofar as the subject matter of the litigation affects the interests of the party.
“3. Interpret the laws, regulations and constitution of the party. In the event of any ambiguities.
“So, you can see the constitutional powers of the Legal Adviser under our party’s constitution. It is in exercise of that power that he filed a notice of discontinuance against a political process that was detrimental to the interests of the party, against a process that is trying to bring through the back door, those sacked lawmakers so that they can impeach a PDP governor.
“So, in exercise of his powers under article 42, he initiates the discontinuance of the case that was illegally filed. And then the National Chairman of that party and the National Secretary now secretly write to the court and say Please, we don’t want to discontinue that case… that case that will help to remove the PDP Governor from office.”
Continuing, he said “This is really hurting me, because among these people, none of them laid the foundation for our great Party.”
The CUPP Spokesperson did not stop there; he also accused the PDP’s national leadership of colluding with APC loyalists to install pro-APC Caretaker Committees in several PDP-controlled states, including Rivers. This, he argues, is part of a broader scheme to weaken the PDP and pave way for the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“The decision to appoint Caretaker Committees filled with APC agents is a direct attempt to kill the PDP and ensure it goes into extinction,” he warned.
Furthermore, he condemned the silence of PDP governors in the country in the face of these ongoing plots and anti-party activities of some national officers, further accusing them of enabling the “planned destruction” of the party through their inaction and silence. He wondered why the governors, who are the primary beneficiaries of the party’s success, have remained silent while the party’s leadership allegedly works to undermine its own members.
“Where are our governors in all of this? Why are they silent? They are the ones who should be defending the party’s interests, yet they sit back and allow these jokers to run amok,” he wondered.
While noting that that these actions and inactions by the “frenemies” of PDP are part the reasons why the Party is not expanding as envisioned and destined; he also lamented that the founding fathers of the party would be greatly disappointed to see these “mad plots” by some PDP members to destroy the Party.
“They would weep and say Is this the People’s Democratic Party that was once the biggest political hope in Africa, that these people have reduced to a market transaction?” he said.
The federal lawmaker, who said he thought that sanity had finally returned to the PDP when the new national leadership took over, lamented thus: “We left these guys at the Headquarters, and they are busy burying this political party. Look at this madness. Look at this madness!”
Concluding, Ugochinyere called for immediate action to save the PDP from self-destruction, emphasizing the need for unity, discipline, and a renewed commitment to the party’s founding principles.
According to him, the PDP leadership should, as a matter of urgency, focus on rebuilding and rebranding the party, rather than aiding those who seek to undermine and destroy the Party.
