SOME opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives, under the aegis of G60, have alleged a plot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and the National Working Committee (NWC) to secretly file court papers to return the sacked 27 lawmakers of Rivers State House of Assembly to office to re-energise their plan to remove Governor Siminilayi Fubara.
At a world press conference held in Abuja on Thursday, the lawmakers displayed evidence of the court affidavit filed by PDP using FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike’s lawyer, Joshua Musa, SAN as a counsel.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, spokesperson of the G60 lawmakers, Ikenga Ugochinyere, described the court documents as shameful act of betrayal and evidence of a compromised NWC that must be dissolved now.
In a suit No: FHC/PH/CS/90/2024, dated May 14, between the remaining Rivers Assembly members and the sacked lawmakers, who defected to the APC from PDP, the applicants are praying for the reliefs, including: “An order joining the PDP as 30 defendant in the suit, an order for the amendment of all processes in this suit to reflect the name of the PDP as the defendant in this suit and for any other orders as the court may seem fit to make in the circumstances.”
In the affidavit in support of motion for joinder, Part 7 states that the 30th defendant has not received any notice of resignation from the wards of the 1st to 27th defendants yet and consequently cannot say that they have defected.
Paragraph 10 states that in further response to paragraph 20(1) of the affidavit in support of the originating summons, the 30th defendant is not aware that the 1st to 27th defendants renounced their membership of the PDP or defected to the APC, aside the rumours being peddled on social media.
But Ugochinyere, representing Ideato North/South Federal Constituency of Imo State, expressed shock and disbelief over the content of the suit, alleging that the Federal capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, through Damagum, was set to destroy the party and allow the sacked APC lawmakers to return through the backdoor.
“We have called you today to give you update of the recent happenings in the PDP, following the now-confirmed reports, which spread from late week, about the PDP filing papers in court secretly in aid of the defected 27 member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, who are no longer lawmakers after they left PDP for APC and their seats were declared vacant.
“While we cannot speak about the issues of bribery allegations and the receipt of the sum of $2million by those behind this shocking act of betrayal of their own party, we can, however, authoritatively speak to you about only what we can and have confirmed to be facts and to be true.
“Recall that the PDP, through the legal adviser, deliberately misled the public and party members when he denied the allegations of existence of such a legal process, where PDP headquarters gave authorisation for the sacked APC lawmakers to be reinstated, using one Dr. Musa Joshua (SAN).
“Fellow party men, the party headquarters lied and here today, we have the hard evidence and copy of the documents to show what those we left in Wadata House are capable of doing to their own party, which is the reason we insisted we cannot leave those already in bed with APC as our party’s officials.
“We can, therefore, confirm to you that the PDP has filed a Motion for joinder in Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/90/2024, filed by the remaining members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to declare the seats of the 27 defected members of the Assembly vacant.
“We can also confirm that the PDP, led by Umar Damagun, and his legal adviser, Ajibade, using a personal lawyer of FCT minister, also filed a Counter-Affidavit to the said suit and a written address opposing the prayers to declare the seats vacant and insisting that the sacked APC lawmakers are still PDP members and should be left alone to continue the activities against the PDP-led govt in Rivers State.
“The position of the PDP was that it was the only party that can say who its members are and that the 27 members are still members of the party.
“We can also confirm to you that the processes were filed by Musa, who is a well-known lawyer of Wike and his interests.
“The legal adviser, with permission of the PDP Chairman, deliberately assigned and authorised the FCT minister’s lawyer to take the case, knowing fully well that PDP’s interest will be butchered.
“So, we can say for a fact that Wike’s lawyer is representing PDP and is pushing Wike’s interest, which is clearly against that of the PDP, as these defected lawmakers are seeking ways to illegally impeach the PDP governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara.
“Again, whether money exchanged hands to allow this type of absurd situation cannot be confirmed, but that information by Mallam Abubakar Isa, who alleged that there was financial inducement, pushed us into the field to ascertain the true position and these are our findings.”
