Federal Lawmakers Threatening To Quit PDP Are Jokers, Barr Nnaji

The 66 members of the House of Representatives threatening to ditch the Peoples Democratic Party unless the party’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, is removed before the party’s rescheduled National Executive Council meeting “are jokers”.

A former National Auditor of the PDP, Barrister Ray Nnaji, stated this in Enugu on Wednesday while reacting to the threat. He said there was no crisis in PDP, adding that PDP has a constitution capable of resolving its internal crisis.

Recall that the lawmakers led by Hon Ikenga Ugochinyere, from Imo State, issued the threat during a press conference in Abuja on Monday. They cited alleged crises in Rivers State PDP and ten other chapters.

Barr Nnaji attributed the crisis in the party to infighting. He said, “PDP has been out of the central power for quite some time. The underlying factor is protection of interests. PDP has a constitution, and anything outside the constitution is invalid. The 66 lawmakers threatening to leave the party are jokers. There is no faction in PDP. It is only the acting national chairman that is alleged to be doing some unusual things.

“Have the aggrieved members written any request to him to address their complaints? The caretaker committee in River State can’t be said to belong to APC. I guess that telling the national chairman to resign is a way to tell him to sit up.”

Nnaji also took a swipe at the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesome Wike, for claiming to be a member of the PDP and working for APC.

He said, “Wike pretends to be a member of PDP. He is also not comfortable with APC. Wike is still in PDP because there is an existing court order restraining any disciplinary action against him by PDP.

“He is therefore afraid of what will happen to him if he leaves PDP. This is because the governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, is not ready to leave PDP. Gov Fubara’s victory at the Supreme Court makes him more comfortable against threats.

“He is also careful not to offend some stakeholders in the polity. I doubt if Wike will be invited to the forthcoming PDP NEC meeting.”

Nnaji said PDP still remained a strong party, agreeing however that “certain things have been working against it”.

Quoting him, “If the next convention comes, and we have the correct people running the party, it will save the party from further implosion. PDP has the machinery to settle any problem confronting it. After the NEC meeting, the party will be stronger.

“The meeting will set plans for the party’s national convention. Without PDP, APC would have been worse. I can assure you that APC would have been past tense but for the acts of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission in the last election.”