Politics
PDP crisis: Anti-Damagun G-60 Lawmakers group chickens out
Reports said, the Ikenga and his G60 Peoples Democratic Party caucus in the House of Representatives has suddenly chickened out having received sufficient briefing by the headquarters of the party over their calls for the resignation of the National Chairman of PDP, Umar Iliya Damagun.
The development has discouraged the arrowhead of the imaginary group, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere as the number of the acclaimed group turned out to be fake the reason, CAPITAL POST learnt, made the controversial Ugochinyere not to go ahead with the planned briefing on the outcome of their meeting at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja on Tuesday.
The G60 is a group of imaginary 60 lawmakers under the auspices of opposition lawmakers coalition, who had last week, threatened to quit the party if the doctored list of Caretaker Committees in Rivers and 10 other states which was filled with members and loyalist of the All Progressives Congress, APC is not nullified.
The imaginary 60 members of the group according to our source is not true as only five members claimed to be 60
The PDP caucus had on Tuesday slated a meeting for 11am at the National Assembly Complex and thereafter the group was to brief the House of Representatives Press Corps by 1pm, but the briefing could not hold while the caucus briefed the media on the state of security in Nigeria.
The meeting convened by the leader of the caucus and House Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda was held on Tuesday at House Committee Room 413, National Assembly Complex Abuja ahead of Thursday’s National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.
But Spokesperson of G60 Rep. Ikenga Ugochinyere, lawmaker representing Ideato Federal constituency of Imo state, said the briefing would no longer hold and has been cancelled.
News making the rounds has it that the press secretary of one of the alleged G60 alleged that the meeting with the Minority Leader ended in commotion as lawmakers were sharply divided along the lines of pro and anti-Umar Damgun, the party’s acting National Chairman.
He alleged that the outcome of the meeting said the move to pass vote of confidence on Damagun failed.
He further said: “We are glad that the plan of the pro- Wike group supporting Damagun fall like a pack of cards as we refused all entreaties to perpetuate illegality and stoking of crisis in the party. Our position remains that Damagun must go for someone from North-central to take over and complete Ayu’s tenure.
“Our Party needs total overhaul and reformation. We currently have in the PDP a national leadership that is in bed with the APC and is working extremely hard to hand over the party to the APC. This is quite shameful disheartening. But we won’t fold our hands and let gat happen.
But a very reliable source within the PDP disclosed that the meeting of the caucus went smoothly as they were all on same page.
Also while addressing journalists after the meeting, the Minority Leader, Rep. Chinda said the PDP caucus was united, indivisible committed and out to perform its duty as the watchdog on behalf of the Nigerians.
Rep. Chinda said: “We have just concluded the third meeting of the People’s Democratic Party caucus in the 10th Assembly and have resolved to tell all of us and the world that we are United and we are one and remained United, indivisible, committed and out to perform her duty as the watchdog on behalf of the Nigerian people.
“In the same vein, we x-rayed the security situation in the country and resolved that we can no longer accept the situation where Nigeria is today tagged one life, one minute silence. The government is therefore called upon to immediately take steps to ensure that the security situation in the country is normalised and the caucus has also given a three month ultimatum for government to normalise the security situation in our country.
“After three months, the caucus will take further steps to sensitise and mobilise Nigerians to perhaps take their security in their hands.
The House caucus also agreed to call on all party caucuses, the Board of Trustees, National Executive Committee and the National Working Committee of the party to embark on reconciliation measures with a view to resolving all litigation that are pending and has hindered the party in any way whatsoever from having a substantive national Chairman.
“We call on our leaders in the PDP to continue to demonstrate unconditional loyalty to the party and ensure that the party reclaim her pride of place where she enjoyes the position of the largest party in Africa and to take back the Aso Villa which actually supposed to be our birth right.
“For us, we are going back as we resume the session to commence a strong, virile and purpose driven opposition to give the people a voice in the parliament.
We also call on the Senate Leadership to please take steps to recall our colleague and senior brother, a veteran politician, a parliamentarian per excellence, Abdul Ningi.”
Though members of the G60 were seen during the meeting and briefing seated calming without any agitations or even commotion, one would wonder how true their claim was and why the G60 backed down on the scheduled press conference.
The immediate past deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Rivers State, Dr Emana Ambrose Amawhe has resigned her membership of the party with immediate effect.
In a letter dated 28th March, 2025 addressed to the Chairman of Edem Odo Ward in Akpabuyo Local Government Council of Cross River State, she said, her resignation was with immediate effect.
She pointed out in the letter that her resignation should not be taken lightly, while she reaffirmed her commitment to and readiness to serve the government of Cross River and Nigeria in general in any capacities.
She said, “I am writing to formally resign my membership from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with immediate effect.
”I sincerely appreciate the opportunity given to me over time to contribute my quota to the growth of the party and the chance to serve as the Deputy Governorship Candidate in the last general elections.
”It was a privilege to be part of the PDP’s vision and engage with our people in meaningful ways. However, after much reflection in light of the current state of affairs within the party, I believe it is time for me to move on.
“This decision was not made lightly, but I remain committed to serving my community and contributing to the progress of our state and nation in other capacities.”
Ambrose-Amawhe was the running mate to Senator Sandy Onor in the 2023 governorship election in Cross River.
She had also contested for the House of Representatives seat for the Bakassi/Akpabuyo/Calabar South Federal Constituency under the PDP.
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Rivers State Chapter, Chief Tony Okocha, has defended the emergency rule declared by President Bola Tinubu in the state, citing escalating security threats.
According to Chief Okocha, Rivers State was on the brink of anarchy due to increasing security concerns in various parts of the state.
Okocha made this statement while addressing journalists at the APC headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.
Justifying the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the declaration of a state of emergency, Okocha commended the President for his “timely” intervention and criticized those opposing the decision.
“The state of emergency called by Mr. President saved Rivers State from anarchy. When you see non-state actors brandishing guns and making statements that promote lawlessness, then you should know there is a problem.
“I see some people jumping onto television platforms to cast aspersions on Mr. President and condemn what they do not understand. Mr. President knows more than they do.
“The truth of the matter is that Rivers State was headed towards anarchy. We all know Rivers is one of the states that sustain this country. Some of the same people criticizing the President now would have also condemned him if he had done nothing.”
Chief Okocha also questioned the silence of former President Goodluck Jonathan and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) when the Rivers State House of Assembly complex was demolished under Governor Fubara’s administration.
“Thank God, President Goodluck Jonathan has been president, General Obasanjo has been president, and they know that every day on their table, they receive security reports.
“I hear the NBA saying the suspension is an affront to democracy. But when the assembly complex was burned and the next day, eleven pieces of equipment were deployed to demolish it, the NBA was silent. They were alive, yet we didn’t hear anything from them”, he said.
Reacting to criticism over why the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, was not sanctioned despite allegations that he contributed to the unrest, Okocha argued that Wike was not involved in the crisis.
He said, “For those asking why the Governor and members of the State House of Assembly were suspended but not the Minister of the FCT—was he in the frame? The answer is no”
Former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the 2023 general election, Adewole Adebayo said, God has told him that the party will produce the next president in 2027 general election.
Speaking over the weekend in Abeokua when he met the members and executive who were led by the State Chairman, Yinka Ola-Williams, said he could confirm that a President of SDP will mount Aso Rock villa in 2027.
“One thing that God is telling me is that there will be an SDP president in the villa in 2027.
“For the first time in a long time, we will have people who care for the people. Let’s remain focused. The problems of Nigeria are our problems, not individuals.
“We are not against Tinubu as a person but we are against hunger, inflation, poverty, insecurity, unemployment. That’s what we are against,” he said.
Buttressing Adebayo’s position on modalities of joining the party, the SDP Chairman in Ogun State, Mr. Yinka Ola-Williams, disowned 30,000 membership cards and registers allegedly being flaunted by one of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirants in the 2023 governorship election in the State.
Ola-Williams said the party’s door is widely opened to anybody who wants to join, but such a person or group, no matter how highly placed, must follow the procedure as laid down in the party’s constitution.
He emphatically stated that the party had nothing to do with the membership cards and registers claimed by the aspirant, who said he got them from the party’s National Secretariat.
“We want people to join us, and we want to work together to provide a better government than what we have now that will remove poverty, provide a better healthcare system for people, improve education and all.
“But not that they come to the party, hijack the party and take the structure away. That’s what we will not agree,” Ola-Williams said.
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