Politics

Fresh Crisis Hits PDP As 60 Reps Demand Damagum’s Resignation As Party Chairman

Published

3 weeks ago

April 8, 2024

Sixty members of the House of Representatives elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, on Monday, called on the party’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, to resign.

The 60 lawmakers led by the PDP member representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency, Imo State, Ikenga Ugochinyere, demanded the resignation of Damagum, accusing him, among others, of being in bed with the ruling All Progressives Congress.

This is just as the opposition lawmakers accused Damagum of plotting to use the Federal High Court to legalise the extension of the tenure of Rivers State Local Government Areas Chairmen,

Meanwhile, Minority Leader of the House and a known political associate of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, Mr Kingsley Chinda, was copiously absent at Monday’s briefing.

“We demand the immediate resignation of Damagun as Acting National Chairman of PDP for anti-party activities and allow the North Central to produce the Acting Chairman as clearly stated in the PDP Constitution or watch us reconsider our membership of the party in the months ahead if the right thing is not done.

“We also call for the removal of Damagun by the party’s National Executive Committee with further sanctions against him for his anti-party activities.

“It is our call on Damagum to immediately resign so that the party can midwife a process and hand over to someone from North Central in line with the provisions of our great party. It is also our call to the leaders of our party from the North Central, Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau, Senators David Mark, Bukola Saraki, Abba Moro, Gabriel Suswam and Babangida Aliyu, to rise up now and save the soul of the part,” Ugochinyere said on behalf of his colleagues.

He noted 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 a fact. We have obtained very credible intelligence on the goings in our party’s Wadata House national secretariat, and it does not sound right at all. We currently have a national leadership in the PDP that is in bed with the APC and working extremely hard to hand over the party to the APC.

“Following the removal of Iyorchia Ayu as national chairman of our party and assumption of office by Damagun, who was elected as Deputy National Chairman to act in his stead, the party has only known misfortune and has abdicated its responsibility as the leading opposition party in the country. That role which Nigerians would have loved the PDP to play as an institution it truly is has been abdicated for a plate of porridge,” he added.

Describing Damagum as unfit to lead the party to battle, the lawmakers said the Yobe politician “Was only constitutionally allowed to step in, hold the fort and midwife the process through which the North Central zone where the chairmanship of the party was originally zone to present another person who would complete the slot of the North Central,” adding however that “Not only did Damagun hold tight unto the seat for well over a year now, he has abdicated every responsibility of the office of the chairman of PDP and is very comfortable serving APC interests.

“There had been an agreement of a broad spectrum of the party leadership when it became clear that Damagum was not interested in conducting elections but in appointing caretaker committees in at least 19 states where the tenures of the state and local government leaders were expiring to extend the tenures of these officials by three months. This decision, which was made to cover every state, was the wisdom that restrained Damagum from announcing a wholesale list of a majority of caretaker committees populated by APC agents masquerading as PDP members.

“However, despite that decision to retain everybody, Mr Damagun went ahead and received a list of APC agents and announced them as members and leaders of the PDP local government caretaker committees wholesomely 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.”

The PUNCH reports that lawmakers also accused Damagum of failing to retain most of the states in the South-East, noting that today, the party is only in charge of Enugu State, “Which literally snatched from the jaw of a lion.”

He added that the party “Lost Benue, Abia and Sokoto states. The PDP leadership kept mute while the PDP state and federal lawmakers lost their seats at the tribunal and Court of Appeal on the grounds that were obviously untenable, which have since been upturned by the Supreme Court. If the party had spoken up and raised the necessary alarm, all our colleagues in Imo and Plateau States particularly would have been with us in the assembly today.”

Addressing the National Chairman frontally, Ugochinyere said, “You have a chance to resign immediately, leave, or be embarrassed out of the party. At least 60 of us in the PDP in the National Assembly will severe all relationships with the Damagun leadership until he leaves office. At the scheduled National Executive Committee meeting, if Damagun by any maneuvering however conjectured, remains in office with the help of his APC friends at the end of the day; the party is now heading to the final slaughter shed.”

Politics

Edo Guber: PDP BoT Member, Idahosa Resigns From Party

Published

5 hours ago

April 29, 2024

Editor

Ahead of the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Charles Idahosa, has resigned from the party.

A letter dated April 29, 2004 and titled ‘Letter of Resignation’, was
addressed to the chairman, PDP, Ward 1, Ehor, Uhunmwode Local Government Area of Edo State.

Mr. Idahosa, popularly called Charlie Temple by his supporters, wrote that he was formally announcing his decision to resign from both the PDP and his role as a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT).

The former Senior Political Adviser to immediate past governor of Edo State, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, however silent on his next move.

Mr. Idahosa remarked that as a representative of the South South Nigerian, the decision came after considerable contemplation and reflection on his personal and political journey.

The top member of the main opposition party, who fell out with Governor Godwin Obaseki over the 2024 governorship ticket of the party, wrote that throughout his tenure within the PDP, he was privileged to contribute to its vision and mission.

He added: “However, after careful consideration. I believe it is time for me to pursue new paths and opportunities beyond the party’s confines.”

The Letter partly reads: “I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the PDP community support and camaraderie during my time of service.

“I remain committed to upholding the values and principles that have guided my political engagement thus far. I look forward to new avenues of growth and contribution, and I extend my best wishes to the PDP as it continues its important work.”

Politics

JUST-IN: PDP Clears All 33 LGA Chairmanship Seats In Oyo

Published

1 day ago

April 28, 2024

Editor

The Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) has declared all the 33 candidates of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winners in the local government areas elections conducted across the state on Saturday.

The declaration on Sunday came amid controversy of irregularities as echoed by the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), which alleged irregularities in the voting process.

The APC in the state while the exercise was ongoing on Saturday had described the election as a sham which it noted was capable of causing the Pacesetter state untold disrepute if allowed to stand.

The opposition party then sought the rescheduling of the election for another day when OYSEIC “is ready to conduct a free, fair and credible poll.”

Oyo State APC Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, in a statement regretted that “another opportunity to deepen democracy and return power to the people at the grassroots has had to be missed due to the insensitivity and insincerity on the part of the ruling class in the state.

“With what is happening at the moment in most Polling Units across the state, Gov. Seyi Makinde has again disappointed the whole world. He promised the people that their votes would count today but the opposite is the case. The good people of the state desired to participate in an election to elect a new set of council officials but what they are experiencing is nothing but a sham.

“Even if OYSIEC comes out later to declare all the candidates of the APC, we would not rate this election as credible and acceptable as it falls below the minimum global standard of election conduct. The best thing is for the Commission to suspend the exercise and choose another date for a proper conduct rather continue to connive with a few anti-democratic elements in the ruling PDP to perpetrate electoral fraud and desecration of democracy in the land,” the statement read in part.

The Oyo state government however disagreed, insisting that the victory of all PDP candidates in the Saturday’s elections was predictable.

The state Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, after the announcement of the results, attributed the victories of the PDP candidates to outstanding performance of Governor Makinde in the last five years.

The Commissioner also attributed the election result to the quality of the candidates which the ruling party presented.

“This is a glowing tribute to the governor and his government as this is the last election under his watch till 2027 when he and the just elected LG chairmen and councillors will end their tenures.”

He lashed out at the opposition for starting to rehearse their complaints barely 30 minutes to the commencement of the elections as early as Saturday morning.

Oyelade charged them to behave like sportsmen and stop mixing fantasy with democracy.

The Commissioner hailed the commitments of the security team, the OYSIEC chairman and his team for daring to make a difference after the challenges of the past two local government elections.

Politics

Ondo 2024: lT Expert Emerges As SDP Candidate

Published

1 day ago

April 28, 2024

Editor

An Information Technology expert, Dr. Segun Oyebolu, weekend emerged the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic party, in Ondo state.

Oyebolu, will be the party’s flagbearear in the November 16, governorship election in the state.

He emerged during the party’s governorship primary held in Akure, Ondo state capital.

The election, was supervised by the officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies.

Speaking at the end of the exercise, the Chairman of the partys primary committee in the state, Joseph Abu, declared Oyebolu as winner

of the exercise having polled 59 votes of the 60 votes cast by the party’s delegates.

Abu who explained that one of the votes was voided, described the election as free and fair and devoid of any rancour or any trouble.

He said that “We have a single candidate and all the delegates voted for the candidate.

” I want to assure you that SDP will win the next governorship election in the state come November by the grace of God.

“I want to thank the people of Ondo state for embracing our party and I am assuring them that SDP will deliver dividend of democracy at their doorsteps.

In his acceptance speech, Oyebolu, assured that his government will focus in freeing the state from the vested interest that had contributed to the underdevelopment in the state.

Oyebolu said that “enough is enough, we are taking our state back”.

“This is therefore a notice to Governor Ayedatiwa to start parking his bags and baggages as our dear Ondo State prepares to replace him with SDP.

“We are duly set to uproot the APC from Ondo State Government House. This is therefore your quit notice served in advance.

“For many of our people yearning for a new day and a new hope – My administration will bring back the good, old days.

“The many destructions wrought on us as a people shall end and in November 2024, SDP shall indeed begin the emancipation of the South West.

” I want to reassure you that the days ahead will witness challenges which collectively we shall overcome as we prepare to return power and comfort to our people”

According to him, SDP is a better alternative to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

He said the ruling party in the state had not changed the lives of the people for better but said the SDP was ready to find solution to the problems of Ondo State if voted to power in the November governorship election.

He noted the current economic crisis facing the people of the state was as a result of the maladministration and ineffective leadership on the part of the party in power in the state.

“We are here today to signal a completely new path, new way and new mindset. What you may call a shift from the unrealisable transformation programme of the APC.

“Our party seeks new way and better alternative entrenched in integrity of managing people, infrastructure and economy for people’s empowerment and emancipation,” he said.

He expressed assurance that the party would defeat the APC and PDP to win the governorship election, said the party is ready to work for the people of the state to rebuild and reposition the state.

The National Secretary of SDP, Dr. Olu Agunloye, while reacting to the primary exercise said “the issue at stake in Ondo State is about ensuring a breakthrough to take the State from its present moribund state to become a prosperous model state.

“This is by leveraging on its abundant human and natural resources, not about the despicable struggle for the purse strings of the State to perpetuate further underdevelopment because of personal interests and unethical agenda.

“In our great Party, the Social Democratic Party we are focused on efforts to move the State forward to social justice, peace, progress, and prosperity”