The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has escalated, following the suspension of the party’s Acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum, and Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, by the members of the National Working Committee, NWC, for alleged anti-party activities.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, confirmed the development in a statement he issued about 3am Friday morning.
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, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, particularly with regard to the letter addressed by them to the Court of Appeal in Appeal 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 programmes of the NWC, pending the conclusion of investigation by the National Disciplinary Committee.”
The PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, had earlier urged members of the party to honour the summons of the party’s disciplinary committee if invited.
Also, Senator Adolphus Wabara, the BOT Chairman enjoined the NWC at its 78th meeting of the board to expedite action and ensure that the meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee, NEC, holds on October 24 as fixed.
