PDP: Embattled Party Chairman Reach Deal With Governors
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors and the embattled National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, appeared to have reached a new deal as part of efforts to resolve the crisis which engulfed its leadership and ensure lasting peace in the main opposition party. The deal involved consideration of an early date for the party’s national convention, as against the initial date of December 9.
With the new deal, widely believed to be in the overall interest of the party, newsmen gathered that the December convention might be brought forward to either October or November.
However, Secondus, in an earlier statement from his media office, said he would not succumb to pressure to resign. “I can confirm to you that I will not resign,” he was quoted as saying. He added that he remained focused in his determination to move the party forward.
Meanwhile, the Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, and his House of Representatives counterpart, Ndudi Elumelu, yesterday, supported the move by the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) to resolve the crisis in the party. Abaribe and Elumelu denied reports that PDP members in the House had passed a resolution that Secondus should resign. The clarification was in reaction to a statement by a House of Representatives member from Rivers State, Kingsley Chinda, asking the party chairman to resign.
On his part, a former governor of Bayelsa State and member of the upper chamber, Senator Seriake Dickson, faulted calls for Secondus to resign, saying only the national convention is empowered to remove him.
The PDP governors had met for over seven hours between 10am and 5pm at the Akwa Ibom State Governor’s Lodge. But about 4.10pm, Secondus was invited to the meeting, which held till 4.50pm
After meeting with the PDP governors, Secondus was seen off by the governors of Sokoto and Akwa Ibom states, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and Udom Emmanuel, respectively.
“I can confirm to you that I will not resign”, Secondus told reporters as he made to leave the venue.
Although a deal to bring the convention backward had been struck, it was not clear if it included the eligibility of Secondus to contest. But the details of the deal’s implementation would depend on the governors’ meeting today with a committee set up by the BoT to interface.
Tambuwal told newsmen that the governors had resolved to back the party in its march towards greater unification.
Tambuwal, who is Chairman, PDP Governors Forum, said, “We have resolved to work together as a forum on the side of our party and the meeting continues tomorrow.” He added, “Very soon, Nigerians will know that our party is united.”
The Monday meeting, held at the Akwa Ibom Liaison Office in Asokoro, Abuja, was attended by all the PDP governors, with the exception of Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, Barrister Mahdi Aliyu Gusau.
Before the forum adjourned, Secondus, who made a brief appearance, said he would not resign from his position.
A short statement from his media office, signed by Ike Abonye, said nothing so far warranted his resignation from the party’s highest position. It said a tiny minority calling for the national chairman’s resignation should come clean and tell other members his offence and why he should resign. Secondus promised to remain focussed and committed to the ideals of the party, which he swore to protect and defend upon his election as chairman 44 months ago.
The Senate PDP Caucus, on Monday, stated that it was in full support of whatever steps being taken by the party’s BoT to resolve the issues at stake.
The Senate Minority Leader, who doubles as Chairman of the PDP Senate Caucus, Abaribe, told newsmen that though the PDP senators were on annual vacation, they backed the current move by the BoT to restore peace and sanity to the opposition party.
Abaribe said, “We are on vacation and support the BoT effort at getting a solution.”
