The internal crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepens, as a faction of the National Working Committee (NWC) has suspended Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, citing allegations of disloyalty.
Earlier, a different faction within the NWC, aligned with Damagum, had announced the suspension of National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, and National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, also for alleged disloyalty.
In a dramatic development, Ologunagba released a statement on Friday announcing the suspension of both Damagum and Anyanwu.
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 they addressed to the Court of Appeal in Appeal No: CA/PH/307/2024, which opposed the party’s stance in the case involving the 27 former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who vacated their seats after defecting 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 as it is a gross violation 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.”