The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has fallen deeper into crisis as a faction of the National Working Committee (NWC) has suspended the party’s National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu.
This move follows the earlier suspension of National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba and National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade. Both Ologunagba and Ajibade had been advocating for Damagum to follow the party’s constitution in its operations.
The PDP’s National Director of Publicity, Chinwe Nnorom, announced the suspension of Ologunagba and Ajibade in a statement released early Friday. The NWC, after its 593rd meeting on Thursday, ordered both officials to step aside while an investigation into allegations against them is conducted.
A committee, led by Deputy National Chairman (South) Taofeek Arapaja, has been formed to investigate the complaints.
However, in a new twist, Ologunagba, on Friday, also announced the suspension of Damagum and Anyanwu. In his statement, Ologunagba highlighted complaints against the two officials, particularly their involvement in a letter sent to the Court of Appeal regarding a case involving 27 former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who left the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The statement read, “The National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP has extensively considered the series of complaints raised against the Acting National Chairman, Amb. Illiya Damagum and National Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu particularly with regard to the letter addressed by them to the Court of Appeal in Appeal No: CA/PH/307/2024 against the party’s position in the case involving the 27 former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who vacated their seats upon decamping from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The NWC condemned this anti-party activity of the Acting National Chairman and the National Secretary which is in gross violation of the provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017) and their Oath of Office.
“Consequently, the NWC, pursuant to Sections 57, 58 and 59 of the PDP Constitution, has suspended Amb. Illiya Damagum and Sen. Samuel Anyanwu as Acting National Chairman and National Secretary of the Party, respectively, and referred them to the National Disciplinary Committee for further action.
“In the meantime, the two officials are suspended from all meetings, activities and programs of the NWC pending the conclusion of an investigation by the National Disciplinary Committee.”
