PDP suspends national chairman, secretary over Rivers crisis

The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has suspended the party’s Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu over political crisis in Rivers State

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, confirmed the development in a statement he issued in the early hours of Friday.

Ologunagba said in the statement a “The National Working Committee, NWC, of the PDP has extensively considered the series of complaints raised against the Acting National Chairman, Ambassador 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 Ambassador Illiya Damagum and Senator 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.”