Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s tenure is under threat as allegations emerge against Umar Damagun, the acting National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)
Damagun is accused of secretly filing a lawsuit to reinstate 27 state lawmakers loyal to Nyesom Wike, the former governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
These lawmakers had defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and subsequently had their seats declared vacant.
The coalition of opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives, known as G60, led by Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo), has brought these allegations to light. During a press conference, Ugochinyere revealed documents allegedly proving the party’s involvement in a lawsuit aimed at reinstating the ousted Assembly members.
The reinstatement is perceived as an attempt to impeach Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The lawmakers claimed that the suit aims to reinstate these members, whose seats were declared vacant, and to revive a plan to illegally impeach Rivers state governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
he group’s spokesman, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo), displayed copies of the suit allegedly filed by the party.
He described the party’s actions as a shameful betrayal and evidence of a compromised NWC that must be dissolved immediately.
In suit no: FHC/PH/CS/90/2024 dated 14th May 2024, the party is seeking an order joining the PDP as 30 defendants in the suit, and an order for the amendment of all processes in the suit to reflect the name of the People’s Democratic Party as the defendant in the suit, and for any other orders as the honourable court may seem fit to make in the circumstances.”
In the affidavit in support of the motion, the PDP said it has not received any notice of resignation from the wards of the 1st -27th defendants yet and consequently cannot say that they have defected.
Paragraph 10 states of the affidavit in support said: “In further response to paragraph 20(1) of the affidavit in support of the originating summons, the 30th defendant is not aware that the 1st – 27th defendants renounced their membership of the People’s Democratic Party or defected to the APC aside the rumours being peddled on social media.”
Ugochinyere who said the National Legal Adviser of the party earlier denied the existence of the suit by the party said Damagun is set to destroy the party and allow APC sacked lawmakers to come back and impeach the governor.
He said: “Recall that the PDP through the legal adviser deliberately misled the public and party members when he denied the allegations of the existence of such a legal process where PDP Headquarters gave authorisation for the sacked APC Lawmakers to be reinstated using one Dr.Musa Joshua SAN.
“Fellow Party men, the party headquarters lied and here today, we have the hard evidence and copy of the documents to show what those we left in Wadata house are capable of doing to their own party which is the reason we insisted we can’t leave those already in bed with APC as our party’s Officials.
“We can confirm to you that the Peoples Democratic Party PDP has filed a Motion for joinder in Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/90/2024 filed by the remaining members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to declare the seats of the 27 defected members of the Assembly vacant.
“We can also confirm that the PDP led by Umar Damagun and his legal adviser Ajibade using a personal lawyer of FCT Minister Wike also filed a Counter Affidavit to the said suit and a written address opposing the prayers to declare the seats vacant and insisting that the sacked APC lawmakers are still PDP members and should be left alone to continue the activities against the PDP led govt in Rivers State.
“The position of the PDP was that it was the only party that could say who its members are and that the 27 members are still members of the Party.
“We can also confirm to you that the processes were filed by Dr. Joshua Musa, SAN who is a well-known lawyer of the Minister of FCT Nyesom Wike and his interests.
“The legal adviser with permission of the PDP Chairman deliberately assigned and authorised the FCT Minister lawyer to take the case knowing fully well that PDP Interest will be butchered. So we can say for a fact that Wike’s lawyer is representing the PDP and is pushing Wike’s interest which is clearly against that of the PDP as these defected lawmakers are seeking ways to illegally impeach the PDP Governor of Rivers State, Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
“Again whether money exchanged hands to allow this type of absurd situation cannot be confirmed but that information by Mallam Abubakar Isa who alleged that there was financial inducement pushed us into the field to ascertain the true position and these are our findings.
We are aware that the Federal High Court in Abuja counter-claimed and asked the Court to declare the seats of the defected lawmakers vacant for the sole reason of their defection is still the same party that is now purporting to stop another court from doing the same thing they are asking another court to do.
“The PDP is now approbating and reprobating at the same time. So what happened? When was this new alliance forged? When did the PDP start defending the defected lawmakers? What are the terms of that negotiation? Are the terms in the interest of PDP or APC, the new party of the now former Assembly members?