With the recent court ruling confirming the legitimacy of the Governor Similaye Fubara faction of the PDP’s Rivers State executive, the internal strife afflicting the National Working Committee, or NWC, has returned.
Recalls that on Thursday, PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba released a statement stating that the NWC accepted the court’s decision to uphold the Ewor-led Rivers State Exco.
“The NWC acknowledges receipt, considered, and hereby accepts the judgment of the Rivers State High Court, which in Suit No. PHC/2301/CS/2024 nullified the Ward, Local Government and State Congresses of our party in Rivers State conducted on July 27, August 10, and August 31, 2024, respectively.
“Consequently, in line with the judgement of the Court delivered on Monday, January 13, 2025, the NWC affirms the Nname Robinson Ewor-led Rivers State Executive to henceforth pilot the affairs of the PDP Rivers State Chapter in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017),” Ologunagba said.
He also gave the court the NWC’s praise for reiterating the PDP’s renowned status as the bulwark of openness in the proper course of internal democracy and rigorous adherence to the Party Guidelines and the Rule of Law in the conduct of Congresses and other events.
Just one day later, Ibrahim Abdullahi, the PDP’s deputy national publicity secretary, released a disclaimer on the directive of Amb. Umar Damagum, the party’s interim national chairman.
Abdullahi asserts that Ologunagba’s views in the aforementioned remark were purely subjective and did not reflect the NWC’s stance.
“The NWC did not accept the judgment in River State, recognising the EWO-led ex-co. That’s not true. The NWC has not sat since September last year. This is subject to your verification.
“And so I wonder where he will now say the NWC sat and adopted wholly, or accepted the verdict, recognising the EWO-led state ex-co in River State.
“Not only that, only recently, he spoke about the judgment in Imo State, wherein a court, you know, affirmed the expulsion of Imo Ugochinyere from the PDP,” Abdullahi said.
Abdullahi noted that, in contrast to Ologunagba, the party leadership, led by Amb. Damagum, always provides the directives for his remarks and press appearances.