Politics

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

Published

3 weeks ago

April 8, 2024

Editor

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 Poll: LP Group Hails Tinubu For Adhering To Zoning, Says Party Has Murdered Sleep In The State

Published

17 hours ago

May 2, 2024

Editor

A pressure group known as Shine Your Eyes Group, ( SYEG), Thursday, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the leaders of the All Progressive Congress, APC, in Edo State for adhering to the principle of fairness, equity in the choice of it governorship candidates and running mate.

The group in a statement signed by its Chairman, Comrade Jonah Ifada and Secretary Osagie Omoregie, and made available to INFO DAILY late Thursday night, said the LP has murdered sleep in the state when the leadership of the party decided to go against the core principle of fairness, equity and justice by throwing a candidate from Edo South in a skewed primary.

The group members who are members of the LP in the state, was apparently reacting to a news report by the Benin Youth Council, (BYC), on Wednesday where its appealed to Barrister Ken Imansuangbon to sheath his sword and join hands with Olumide Akpata in his governorship bid.

Shine Your Eyes Group said Akpata should rather step down to a more popular Imansuangbon to avoid embarrassment at the September 21st governorship election in the state, noting that it is not the turn of Edo South.

The group argued, “Look at what President Tinubu and the leadership of APC did in Edo State. They decided to abide by the principle of fairness, equity and justice which are fundamental to any development just like what the PDP did. The Labour party should have taken a cue from the APC.

“Are you saying Olumide Akpata is more popular than great and experienced politicians like Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Lucky Imansuen and others who decided to drop their ambition in support of zoning? Akpata should do the needful and step down for Imansuangbon now and save the Labour party from shame. Imansuagbon has vowed to fight his case to a logical conclusion”, SYEG noted.

Recall that Imansuangbon had gone to court to challenge the emergence of Olumide Akpata as the candidate of the Labour Party.

Imansuangbon, in his petition, stated that Mr Olumide Akpata committed offences ranging from giving false information to the acquisition of citizenship of another country, which is a grand departure from the Nigerian Constitution’s accepted norms

The educationist wanted the court to determine whether Akpata “has not supplied or otherwise given false information to the INEC within the meaning or contemplation of the provisions of section 29(5) of the Electoral Act 2022 read together with section 182(1) (a) and (j) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), among other allegations.”

Politics

Edo Poll: Youth Leader Tackles Orbih, Shaibu Over Anti-Ighodalo Stance, Wants Them Suspended

Published

1 day ago

May 1, 2024

Editor

The Deputy National Youth Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, Timothy Osadolo, has called on the leadership of the party to suspend the National Vice Chairman, South-South of the party, Dan Orbih, and other members of the Legacy Group, including former deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, who have vowed to work against the party in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State.

Osadolo said the declaration by Orbih and the members of the Edo PDP Legacy Group was tantamount to anti-party activities, saying they should be sanctioned.

The Edo PDP Legacy Group had met in the three senatorial districts of the state with the latest on Sunday in Irrua, Esan Central Local Government Area of the Edo Central Senatorial District, where they declared their reservations on the way Governor Godwin Obaseki had treated them after they helped him to realise his second term ambition in 2020.

The group, which has the former deputy governor, Shaibu, former Speakers of the state House of Assembly, Kabiru Adjoto and Frank Okiye, in its ranks, vowed to work against the party and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, if their grievances were not addressed.

Orhib said, “With all that is before us today, it is not about the PDP, APC or Labour Party. What is before us is the future of Edo State. Whoever will address the problems of our people and give our people a strong sense of belonging is the person we are going to vote for. Let us pray to God to give us the wisdom and direction we must go. We cannot be fooled a second time.

“About two days ago, I saw my name in a campaign council and I have come out clearly to decline to serve in the Edo state PDP Governorship Campaign Council. My decision rests on how I feel. The members of the PDP are badly treated after the reelection of Obaseki.”

However, in a statement on Tuesday, the PDP National Youth Leader said Orbih and his group should be suspended for anti-party activities.

Osadolor said: “A few days ago, what seemed unbelievable happened in Ogbona, the village of Dan Orbih and a few hours later in Edo Central, where members of a group that fancies itself as Legacy Group within the PDP, organised a show where they declared their resolve to work against the PDP in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State.

“As odious as this inconsiderate and unfortunate statement of theirs was, it was nothing compared to the disappointment, when you noticed that the leader of the pack is Orbih.

“This is a man that despite all PDP has done for him, and given him, has not been able to say thank you to the PDP by assisting in even producing a councillor in his ward. It is on record, the most miserable years of the PDP in Edo State were under his over-a-decade chairmanship, wherein the PDP lost elections.

“At the last NEC of the PDP, a disciplinary committee was set up by NEC. Moreso, the NEC gave the NWC powers to act on its behalf, pending the next NEC. Having heard the unfortunate comments by Orbih, where he openly said he would not be voting or working for the PDP to win and also asking people to do the same, it is important that the NWC do the needful by wielding the big stick on Orbih and his co-travellers.”

Osadolor said he was not surprised at the conduct of Shaibu, given that he was recently removed as deputy governor.

“The case of Comrade Philip Shaibu, a newfound ally of Orbih, can be explained, after all he has put himself through in these last few weeks, being human, can make one act in a diverse way.

“This is the time for PDP NWC to show Nigerians that it is a serious party that wants power and believes in the principle of justice, fairness and discipline. The time to start sanitising the PDP is now and a first bold step in this direction is to suspend Orbih for open anti-party activities,” he said.

Politics

Why Candidate Who Needs Interpreter Can’t Be Edo Gov – Shaibu

Published

1 day ago

May 1, 2024

Editor

A former deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has said any governorship candidate who can not speak the Edo dialect cannot govern the state.

Speaking during the Edo Central PDP leaders and stakeholders meeting held in Irrua, the administrative headquarters of Esan Central Local Government Area of the state on Monday, Shaibu said he would support only a homeboy to become the governor of the state.

He added that a candidate who needed the help of an interpreter did not qualify as a homeboy because of his inability to speak the dialect of the Edo people.

He stated, “Today, we have decided that a homeboy that we know will become the governor of Edo State. You already know that Edo born in Lagos State is not a homeboy.

“Is somebody who comes here with an interpreter a homeboy? So, if that is a minus it means we will look for a homeboy.”

Although Shaibu didn’t mention the candidate he was referring to, the governorship candidate of the PDP, Asue Ighodalo, had been under fire after he hired an interpreter to announce his intention to his kinsmen at a ward in Ewohimi, Esan South East Local Government Area of the state earlier.

Ighodalo was seen in a video when he met with his kinsmen.

In the video, Ighodalo, who was vying for the PDP ticket then, addressed the crowd in English Language to seek their support while an interpreter translated his words into the Esan Language.

Also speaking, the party’s National Vice Chairman, South-South Zone, Dan Orbih, vowed not to campaign for the party if the crisis in the party is not solved.

Orbih said the re-election of Godwin Obaseki has only brought pain and anger to members of the party and the people of the state at large.

“In Edo State PDP, all is not well. Until I see concrete steps taken by the PDP government in the state to address all those issues that we have raised in the cause of our campaigns, until I see concrete steps to address the promises we made to the Edo people, I will not be able to face anybody to say vote the PDP at the next election.

“If they can treat you the way they treated you, you can imagine what it will be if we allow them to continue. I can see pain and anger in the faces of our people and members. I can not pretend to say all is well and I have come out clearly to decline to serve in the Edo State PDP governorship Campaign Council. My decision is based on how I feel. Members of the PDP were badly treated after the re-election of Godwin Obaseki,” he stated.

Prior to the PDP governorship primary election, Obaseki and Shaibu, along with their supporters have been in disagreement over who will be the PDP’s candidate.

Ighodalo, however, emerged as the winner of the PDP primary election with Shaibu being impeached as the deputy governor of the state.

This, however, deepens the division within the state chapter of the party as opposition gathers within the party against Obaseki and the party’s candidate.