Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo), a member of the House of Representatives representing Ideato North South Federal Constituency, has stated that no official Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) congress took place in Rivers State over the weekend.
According to Ugochinyere, what occurred was not a genuine party congress but rather a social event hosted by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who presented it as a congress.
The state congresses of the main opposition party took place over the weekend and faced several complaints from various states, including Rivers, Benue, Katsina, and Kogi.
In Rivers State, the congress proceeded despite a court order prohibiting it. This situation has created a conflict between the National Working Committee (NWC), which authorized the congress, and the PDP Governors Forum, which believes Governor Siminalayi Fubara should continue as the party leader in the state.
Wike and his faction are also asserting control over the party structure following a congress that was boycotted by the state governor and his supporters. The PDP has indicated that the process will be reviewed by the party’s organs.
In a statement on Saturday, Ugochinyere, spokesperson for the G-60 federal lawmakers in the House of Representatives, dismissed the event organized by Wike’s faction as merely a social gathering masquerading as a party congress.
Ugochinyere stated that no official PDP congress took place in Rivers State. Instead, he described Wike’s event as a desperate attempt to impress his diminishing followers, calling it an “owambe party” rather than a genuine congress.
He highlighted that an interim court order had been issued in July by Justice Charles Wali of the Port Harcourt State High Court, prohibiting the PDP from holding congresses in the state. According to Ugochinyere, the so-called congress organized by Wike and his associates was a futile exercise and a blatant disregard of the court’s order.
He concluded, “The purported congress is invalid and meaningless as it defies the existing court order. Such gatherings, which attempt to pass off as PDP congresses, are nothing more than futile exercises.”