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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The minority leaders, drawn from all the opposition parties in the House of Representatives, have disowned 60 lawmakers who called for the resignation of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, for alleged anti-party activities.
Recall that 60 PDP lawmakers under the auspices of the Coalition of Opposition Lawmakers, on Monday, threatened to quit the party if Damagum does not leave office to pave the way for the appointment of a new acting national chairman from the North Central, the zone of the suspended national chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.
Reacting via a statement issued on Tuesday and jointly signed by the Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda; Deputy Minority Leader, Ali Madaki; Minority Whip, Ali Isah, and Deputy Minority Whip, George Ozodinobi, the lawmakers described the Ikenga Ugochinyere-led coalition as a body unknown to the parliament.
“Our attention has been drawn to a press release by the group and we state unequivocally that the minority caucus and the PDP caucus dissociates themselves from the said press statement.
“The said coalition of lawmakers led by Ikenga Ugochinyere is unknown to the parliament and both caucuses condemn
in totality the absurd move, the uncouth and unparliamentary language of the group.
“The general public should take note that such a coalition is unknown to parliament, and their demands do not represent that of the minority parties.
“The said lawmakers should desist from further misinformation of the public and be more honourable in their conduct,” the statement read.
Chinda, a known ally of Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, who is at loggerheads with his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, was absent at Monday’s news conference where the coalition demanded for Damagum’s resignation.