60 PDP lawmakers demand resignation of Damagun, threaten to quit party

..Reject foisting of APC loyalists as Caretaker C’ttee members in in Rivers, 10 other states

By Tom Okpe

Ahead of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), a group of 60 PDP Federal lawmakers under the aegis of Opposition Lawmakers Coalition, have demanded the resignation of the acting National Chairman of the party, Umar Damagun, to pave way for a North central person, pending the conduct of its National Convention as required by the party’s constitution.

The lawmakers also threatened to quit the party if the doctored list of Local Government Caretaker Committees of the party in Rivers and 10 other states, compiled with members and loyalists of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is not nullified.

Addressing newsmen at a press conference on Monday at the National Assembly, Abuja, spokesperson of the group and House of Representatives Member, representing Ideato Federal constituency, Rep Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere along with other leading members of the G60 lawmakers in the coalition, said they cannot be in a political party where activities of such party are determined by another political party.

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Rep Ugochinyere said: “Many of you may have heard rumours about ongoing events in our party, the PDP, where there have been allegations of doctoring of Caretaker Committee members lists in Rivers State and at least 10 other States.

“This story is quite unfortunate and I can confirm to you all that it is not a rumour but fact. We have obtained very credible intelligence on the ongoings in our Party’s Wadata House National Secretariat and it does not sound right at all.

“We currently have in the PDP a national leadership that is in bed with the APC and is working extremely hard to hand over the party to the APC.

“Following the removal of Senator Iyorchia Ayu as National Chairman of our party and assumption of office by Umar Illiya Damagun, who was elected as Deputy National Chairman to act in his stead, the party has only known misfortune and abdicated its responsibility as the leading opposition party in the country.”

The group’s spokesman further stressed that despite the decision to retain everybody, Damagun went ahead and received a list of APC agents and announced them as members and leaders of the PDP Local Government Caretaker Committees, wholly in Rivers State and partially in at least 10 other States.

“This is a direct attempt to kill the PDP and ensure it goes into extinction.

“To make issues clearer, we are speaking on behalf of at least 60 lawmakers in the opposition lawmakers’ coalition in the National Assembly.

“We all won our elections without any form of help or support from the party hierarchy. It has become clearer to us that this scenario was foisted so that as many of us as possible will fail the elections.

“Damagum never really wanted us to win. Against their wish, we won the election and now, Damagun and his co-travellers have launched the phase 2 of their protocol which is to hand the structures of the party to interests working for the APC.

“It is on this basis that we, the genuine PDP lawmakers who believe in our party and its ideals hereby, announce today, Monday, 8th April, 2014 that we would not stand idly by and allow Damagun destroy efforts of Sir Alex Ekwueme, Prince Solomon Lar and other eminent former Chairmen and leaders of the party.

“We, therefore, declare that if the list in Rivers State PDP Caretaker Committee, and the other 10 States were to stand, that the 60 lawmakers will resign from the Party, severe all relationship with the party and seek new political alliances elsewhere,” the group declared.

The group also wondered how some of their former members working with APC Government claim they are in PDP but mobilising support for another political party, saying; “It’s our call on Umar Iliya Damagum to immediately resign so that the Party can midwife a process and hand over to someone from the North Central in line with the provisions of our great party.

“It’s also our call to the leaders of our Party from the North Central, Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau, Senator David Mark, Senator Bukola Saraki, Senator Abba Moro, Senator Gabriel Suswam and former Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, to rise up now and save the soul of the Party.”