Prince Uche Secondus
Secondus survives PDP scare till October, as governors reschedule national convention for election new NWC
National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, has temporarily survived the surge of protests to remove him from office as state governors under the platform of the party, Tuesday, resolved to move forward the December date fixed for the National Convention of the party to October when a new National Working Committee (NWC) is constitutionally elected into power.
It would be recalled that state governors of the PDP had been in Abuja since Monday deliberating on the fractured National Working Committee (NWC) situation of the party that has seen about six of its members resign their positions, as well as protests by some members, including state governors opposed to the continued stay of Secondus as National chairman of the party.
The convention was initially meant to be held in December.
Sokoto State Governor, and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Aminu Tambuwal, who briefed the media of the resolution, after a closed-door meeting of the party stakeholders in Abuja, said the party as a way of resolving the internal crisis has agreed that its earlier planned national convention should now hold in October, instead of the traditional December date.
Tambuwal also announced that NWC members have agreed to work together.
“We are very happy to announce that we have discussed all matters and we have resolved to continue to work as a united family,” Tambuwal said.
Secondus is now expected to continue functioning as party chairman till the October national convention when members and delegates will converge on a yet to agreed venue to elect a new National Working Committee for the party.
The embattled Secondus has been under serious threat amid mounting calls for his removal or resignation as national chairman of the party.
However, while some like the Oyo, Rivers and Adamawa states’ governors, Seyi Makinde, Nyesom Wike, and Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, respectively, joined by members of the PDP caucus in the House of Representatives, are not in favour of his continued stay in office, others like the Delta governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, and lately former Bayelsa governor, Senator Seriake Dickson, have backed the embattled party chairman.
But Dickson who is representing the Bayelsa West in the Senate, on Monday threw his weight behind the embattled chairman, holding that the calls were part of the plot to contrive a needless crisis in the party in order to set up a caretaker committee, which is illegal.
Fromer Governor, Dickson, who presently represents Bayelsa West at the Senate, I a statement issued, Monday, rejected the call for Secondus’ removal.
“The chairman is voted for and can only be removed by the National Convention unless on his own volition, he chooses to resign. So I call on all leaders of the party that this is perhaps their last effort to save the PDP.
“Like me, most of us have paid dearly and have paid our dues since 2015 when we lost the Presidential elections, and like me, we should all not rest on our oars or leave any stone unturned in the bid to strengthen and reposition the party including calling people to order and standing up against illegality when we have to.
“We don’t have any crisis in the party. What is happening is only a contrived media crisis orchestrated and funded by some people with a motive to hijack the party without subjecting themselves and their cronies to a democratic vote at the convention which is due in less than 4 months.”
In the same vein, Elumelu, in a statement, Monday, distanced himself from any House caucus calling fpr the removal or resignation of Secondus as national chairman, saying: “We are working in concert with organs of the party to ensure sustainable resolution of the current challenges that will be in the overall interest of the party and Nigerians.”
