Rivers: New Crisis as Damagum, Anyanwu’s Letter to A’Court Shocks PDP Legal Adviser

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Fresh crisis of confidence is brewing among members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN, has expressed shock over a letter written by the acting National Chairman, Illya Damagum and the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, to the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt to disregard his letter.

 According to section 42 of the PDP constitution, the national legal adviser of the party is to initiate all legal issues of the party.
 Latching unto this, Ajibade told THISDAY that he filed all legal processes for the Rivers State lawmakers coming up today, Monday, at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, but expressed shock and surprise at the decision of Damagum and Anyanwu, who wrote a counter letter to the processes that he had filed in court.
 When confronted why the acting national chairman wrote a counter letter, he said, “I am shocked. Go and ask him. For me, I have filed the processes in court as stated by the PDP constitution.”

A letter by Damagum disowning Ajibade in a suit, might have reignited the crisis in the Rivers State chapter of the party.
 Damagum and Anyanwu, had in an August 16, 2024 letter to the Deputy Chief Registrar, Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt, said the party “did not authorise the filing “of a Notice of Discontinuance on July 24 in respect of a case involving the party at the Appeal Court.”
The appeal with No CA/PH/307/2024 is principally against 27 members of the State House of Assembly who, on the 11th of December, 2023, defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Addressing reporters last night in Abuja, some PDP members of the House of Representatives from the state accused Damagum and Anyanwu of plotting to sabotage the party in the ongoing legal tussle involving the state lawmakers loyal to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
 They said the letter by Damagum and Anyanwu “represents a blatant disregard for the constitutional authority of the PDP National Legal Adviser and a clear attempt to undermine the interests of the PDP.”

 The House members led by Hon. Ikenga Ugochiyere, alleged that Damagun and Anyanwu were plotting to hand over the party to the APC in Rivers State with a view to impeaching Governor Siminilaye Fubara of the state.
 The lawmakers accused the two leaders of a covert plot to sabotage PDP’s interests in an ongoing legal battle involving defected former members of the Rivers assembly, which they said was part of a desperate and shameful effort to betray their own party.  
They added that the plot was to further destroy all legal efforts and aid the pro-Wike APC elements to have the legal backing to attempt their plot of removing Fubara from office.

 Ugochinyere, therefore, called for immediate action, including reaffirming the authority of the National Legal Adviser, taking legal steps to restrain the National Chairman and Secretary from further interference, and convening a disciplinary committee to investigate their actions.
They claimed that the alleged  plot, if successful, could lead to the destruction of the PDP “as we know it, and this is something we cannot and will not allow to happen.”