A chieftain of the People’s Democratic (PDP) has claimed that the appeal court errired in his judgement that sack the national secretary Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, and that the PDP constitution favours the Acting National Chairman Ambassador Umar Illiya Damagum and the National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu, continue stay in office till December 10 2025, when their tenure will officially end.
Recall Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere while commending the appeal court ruling sacking the national secretary of the main opposition party, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, said that, next is the turn of the acting National Chairman, Umar Damagun to be sacked by the court.
But according to a viral video that was posted on the The Active Citizen YouTube channel on Tuesday, Comrade Daboikiabo Warmate, a very vocal PDP chieftain said, Ugochiyere is bereft of the PDP constitution and condemned his statement.
He allegedly described him as a dishonourable member whose obsession with the call for a change in the leadership of PDP National is informed by a promise to sponsor his governorship ambition and secure the imo state PDP governorship ticket in 2027 if, he is able to employ every necessary means including propaganda to stir a change of leadership at the national. And that, the governor of Rivers State is behind it whom Ugochiyere has turned to his ATM machine and in turn has turned to the governor’s media errand boy, who also has abandoned his legislative duties to the good people of ideato north and south.
Comrade Warmate said, Amb. Damagun and the ousted former national Chairman, Sen. Ayu, are from the same part of the country call it northern zone or region. And that, Article 35(3c); 45(2); 47(2), 47(6) and 67(2i) all supports and confirm him not just as Acting National Chairman but as the substantive now.
Warmate further said, a court of competent jurisdiction led by Honorable Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court (Abuja Division), in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/579/2024 on October 11, 2024, ruled that ambassador Umar Illiya Damagun remains the Acting National Chairman and cannot be replaced by anybody until the party conducts its National convention to elected new officials and sown them in by December 10, 2025.
He said, the framers of the PDP constitution have envisaged that a time would come when someone not from the same zone or region with the National Chairman of the party may assume the position of the Acting National Chairman in line with the PDP succession protocol in section 35 (3 d), that’s when section 47(6) can be activated to ensure that, the zone or region that produce the ousted Chairman whose tenure has not ended, is served out by someone from his region or zone.
Comrade Warmate further schooled Ugochiyere on how the PDP constitution is on the side of Sen. Samuel Anyanwu continued occupation of the position of the PDP National Secretary till 2025. “Sen.Anyanwu has not in any way violated the party constitution and Honourable Ugochiyere should stop misinforming and leading party faithfuls and the Nigerian people with his stinking ignorance of the constitution.”
In an explicit attempt to buttress his points, he read and threw light on Article 47(5) Any officer elected into the Executive Committee of the Party at any level MAY resign his or her office by giving thirty days notice in writing to the appropriate Executive Committee, excerpt in the case of resignation for the purpose of vying for an elective office which shall be effective within the period stipulated in the GUIDELINE issued for such elective office by National Executive Committee of the Party, or the State Executive Committee in respect of Local Government elections. And PROHIBITION FROM HOLDING DUAL OFFICES article 48(1) Subject to the provisions of this constitution, any member holding any office in the Party at any level shall be deemed to have resigned that office, if he or she ASSUMES any of the following offices-
(i) Governor or Deputy Governor of a State;
He explained that, section 47(5) doesn’t make it compulsory for any NWC or SWC members to resign before contesting any elections that is why the word ‘MAY’ was used and that section 48(1) lied emphasize on the fact that, until a person not just won an election but assumed the contested public office, he or she cannot be considered to have assume to hold dual offices. And that since, Sen. Anyanwu did not assume the office of the governor of Imo state, he cannot be considered to have held dual office.
The constitution says assume the office of the Governor or Deputy Governor and not the office of the governorship candidate because there’s no office like that known to the PDP or Nigeria constitution. And when Ugochiyere was made the DG of the PDP governorship campaign in Imo state, his memory failed him to know then that, Sen. Anyanwu was an occupant of a dual office. He gave an example of a former PDP National Treasurer from Ekiti state who then contested the PDP governorship election, lost and came back to continue his duty as National Treasurer.
He sarcastically asked “Where is Ugochiyere when 18 elected local government chairmen on the platform of PDP were unjustly removed from office by the APC led government in Edo state? Where is he when opposition members decamped on the floor of the green chambers? Why did he not address a live world press conference as he does with Rivers state matters, your guess is as good as mine’?
Comrade Warmate said, “Right Honourable, Barr., Kingsley Ogundu Chinda, is the only recognized opposition leader in the green chambers in Nigeria. ‘