- Wike’s Group: “We Are Not Aware Of Ugochinyere’s Coalition”, House Minority Leaders Disown 60 Reps
- Fubara’s Camp: “60 Reps will quit Party if acting Chair Doesn’t Resign…
By Abiola Olawale
Indications emerging on Tuesday suggest that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) might be headed for tougher times as the camps of Rivers State Governor , Similayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike are currently engage in fight to finish over who controls the party structure in Rivers State.
This is coming as the minority leader in the House of Representatives have disowned the coalition of opposition lawmakers and its threat against the party’s leadership.
The Minority Leader of the House, Hon Kingsley Chinda, who is a known political associate of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, also rejected the call for the resignation of the PDP’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum.
The New Diplomat reports that 60 parliamentarians under the auspices of the Coalition of Opposition Lawmakers, on Monday in Abuja, threatened to quit the PDP if Damagum does not leave office to pave the way for the appointment of a new acting chairman from the North Central, the zone of the suspended National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.
The coalition led by Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere accused Damagum of working with the All Progressives Congress (APC). The lawmakers also referred to the situation in Rivers State where an unknown list of caretaker committee emerged.
Reacting via a statement issued and co-signed on Tuesday by the Minority Leader and leader of the caucus, Kingsley Chinda; Deputy Minority Leader, Ali Madaki; Minority Whip, Ali Isah and Deputy Minority Whip, George Ozodinobi, the lawmakers described the Ikenga Ugochinyere-led coalition as a body unknown to the parliament.
The statement read, “Our attention has been drawn to a press release by the group and we state unequivocally that the minority caucus and the PDP caucus dissociates themselves from the said press statement.
“The said coalition of lawmakers led by Ikenga Ugochinyere is unknown to the parliament and both caucuses condemn in totality the absurd move, the uncouth and unparliamentary language of the group.
“The general public should take note that such a coalition is unknown to parliament, and their demands do not represent that of the minority parties.
“The said lawmakers should desist from further misinformation of the public and be more honorable in their conduct.”
A source who spoke to the New Diplomat on the matter pointed out that the current crisis is not unconnected from the rift between Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State and his predecessor, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
According to the source, the emergence of a purported list of Caretaker committees in Rivers State is the cause of the problem.
It would be recalled that Fubara had declared the purported list of PDP Caretaker Committee members for Rivers State, as fake.
Fubara said the list is the handiwork of cheap publicity seekers and agents of crisis, who should know that their imagination will not stand.
Several political commentators have opined that the emergence of the list might reportedly be in the knowledge of Wike who is still battling to hold onto power in Rivers State.
