A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kola Ologbondiyan, yesterday, declared that the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, is occupying the seat illegally.

Ologbondiyan remarked on the backdrop of external forces trying to destroy the PDP.

Featuring on Arise TV’s Morning Show, the former National Publicity Secretary of PDP said there are attempts to make the party an arm of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He pointed out that Damagum is from the North-East, and the North-Central wants the position of national chairman to return to the region.

Ologbondiyan said: “As a proverb says, if there is no spill on the wall, the lizard can’t come in. There will be issues in the party, but how much of these issues are managed is one thing, but how external influences come into them to finally disrupt and reduce the party to nothing is also there.

“There are issues in the party. In the case of the national chairman, the North-Central believes that the position should return to them. Damagum is from the North-East, and he is occupying that position.

“No matter how long he continues to stay, Damagum is staying there illegitimately. It’s an issue in the party.”

Meanwhile, the Rivers State chapter of the PDP said it went on with the state, local council and ward congress which was nullified on Monday by a Port Harcourt High Court because a Federal High court in Abuja gave an order clearing it to proceed with the congresses.

A Statement by the PDP State Publicity Secretary, Dr. Kenneth Yowika, said Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, barred the police, Department of State Services (DSS), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and seven others from Stopping, truncating or disrupting the conduct of the congresses of the party.

However, concerning the judgement delivered by Justice Jumbo Stephens of the High Court in Port Harcourt on Monday, the PDP spokesman has urged all party members from the wards, councils and state to be calm, assuring that its lawyers are studying the judgement and will be appealed immediately by the party.

Meanwhile, Ebonyi PDP, yesterday, debunked a media report that one Chidiebere Egwu has emerged as the new South-East Vice Chairman replacing Ali Odefa.

In a statement in Abakaliki, the state Chairman and Secretary of the party, Onyemaechi Nwele and Ogbuefi Zacheus, noted that Odefa remained the authentic National Vice Chairman South-East, describing the purported removal and replacement of Odefa as ridiculous, laughable and absurd.

It will be recalled that a media report showed that Chidiebere Egwu emerged as the new National Vice Chairman of PDP, South-East. But in a statement, the party noted that the state chapter of the party never authorised such a “criminal act of illegally removing a national officer of the party.”

According to PDP, the same Egwu is still currently standing trial in an Abakaliki High Court for forgery over this same matter.

PDP officers in the state noted that they have no constitutional powers to remove any elected national officer of the party, stressing that the purported replacement of Odefa was still the same impersonation which the party has suffered in recent times through the activities of disgruntled elements who were bent on destroying the party in the state. (The Guardian)