Reps Minority Caucus Disowns Ugochinyere-led Coalition

The House of Representatives Minority Caucus and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caucus in the Green Chamber have disowned the Rep Ikenga Ugochinyere-led coalition of opposition lawmakers, saying such a body is unknown to the parliament.

This was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday and co-signed by all the minority caucus leaders including Kingsley Chinda, (Caucus leader), Ali Madaki, (deputy leader), Ali Isah J.C., (Minority Whip) and George Ozodinobi, (Deputy Minority Whip).

Daily Trust reports that Ugochinyere had on Monday addressed a press conference in Abuja alongside five other lawmakers where he claimed that 60 PDP lawmakers whom he spoke for and demanded the resignation of the party’s acting national chairman, Umar Iliya Damagun, over alleged anti-party activities.

The other lawmakers who addressed the press conference alongside Ugochinyere include Reps Paul Shehu, Abdulmaleek Danga, Midaa Balami, Aliyu Mustapha and Awaji-Inombek Abiante.

The group also called for removal of Damagun by the NEC of the party with further sanctions against him for his alleged anti-party activities should he fail to resign.

The lawmakers who accused Damagun of allegedly working hard to handover the PDP structures to the ruling All Progressives Congress, urged him resign to pave way for a North Central person to emerge as acting chairman of the party pending the conduct of convention as required by the party’s constitution.

They also threatened to quit the party if the alleged doctored list of Local Government Caretaker Committees of the party in Rivers and 10 other states which they alleged was filled with members and loyalists of the All Progressive Congress, APC is not nullified

But apparently reacting to the press conference addressed by Ugochinyere and 5 others, the minority leadership in the House disowned the group.

“Our attention has been drawn to a press release by the group and state unequivocally that the Minority caucus and PDP Caucus dissociate themselves from the said press statement.”

“The said coalition of lawmakers led by Hon Ikenga Ugochinyere is unknown to the parliament and both caucuses condemn in totality the absurd move, uncouth and unparliamentary language of the group.

“That the general public should take note that such a coalition is unknown to parliament and their demands does 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.