Secondus: We Met A Traumatised PDP Struggling With Opposition Life

*PDP Holds NEC meeting Thursday

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
Uche Secondus, has said on assumption of office in 2018, he and
other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) met a
psychologically traumatised PDP that was struggling to adjust to
its new life as an opposition party.

Secondus dropped this hint ahead of the much expected Thursday
National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, where the party is
expected to make critical decisions, includingthe constitution of a
national convention committee and a review of the report on the
zoning of offices for 2023 general election.

Speaking with select journalists on the state of the party
before assuming office, Secondus said, “We took over the party,
when it was still trying to come out of the trauma of losing
election and being in opposition for two years under an intolerant
ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.

“We met a psychologically traumatised party struggling to adjust
to opposition life after 16 years in power. We inherited a party
that had issues with internal democracy. Delegates were not having
the final say on who flies the flag of the party in an election.
Names of winners were randomly and blatantly changed in Abuja with
disregard to the people and the requirements of our constitution,”
he said.

The PDP chair, however, explained that, “By the time our reform
programme came on stream, the party had become an attractive brand
to accommodate the influx of new members that included the entire
leadership of the two chambers of the National Assembly then, the
Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
others members of the parliament at federal and state levels as
well as three incumbent state Governors of Benue, Kwara and Sokoto
who joined us”

On internal democracy, Secondus said, “the decentralisation of
powers to flow from the people made it possible for people to get
party tickets at the congress venue not at party headquarters at
state and national levels,” a development he said allowed popular
and more acceptable candidates to emerge at state congresses and
national convention.

Continuing, he said, “Our national convention in Port Harcourt,
Rivers state in October 2018, became the first of its kind in
Nigeria. It was so transparent that there was no complaint from
anybody. Instead, all the contestants resolved to support the
winner. All these helped to engender confidence and trust in our
leadership,” he explained.

Meanwhile, PDP stakeholders have listed what could be termed a
middle-course solution to the latest party crisis that threatened
to devour Secondus and other members of the NWC.

This is as the party has concluded plans to hold an emergency
National Executive Committee (NEC) this week Thursday, being a part
of the directives by the expanded Board of Trustees that resolved
the intractable leadership crisis.

The NEC meeting will dwell on two issues of the constitution of
the convention committee and the review of the report of Governor
Bala Mohammed committee that reviewed the 2019 presidential
election as well as where the presidential standard bearer of the
party wouldcome from.

Speculation had it that some other interests wanted Secondus
sacked, because of the political permutations of the 2023 general
election and the fear that as national chairman, he wouldplay a
critical role with the NWC.

According to sources, “The fight against Secondus is principally
fanned by forces desperate for the Presidential ticket of the
party, and who see Secondus as an obstruction to their parochial
ambition.

“Some desperate politicians are not happy with Secondus for
insisting on free and fair democratic processes and not allowing
the party structure to go to the so-called godfathers of the
party.”

It was gathered that having instituted the culture of fairness
as witnessed in the 2018 National Convention, such ambitious
individuals feared that they would be unable to realise their
aspirations if Secondus remained chairman.

Particularly, the source said they wanted him and the NWC to
reserve the 2023 Presidential ticket for a particular bloc,
explaining that such persons saw themselves as having a deep vault
capable of buying up the structure of the party and as such, could
do anything they wanted as far as their pockets could sustain
them.

The stakeholders at the expanded BoT meeting took note of the
stability of the party devoid of rancours under the Secondus-led
NWC and concluded that it would not be smart to hound Secondus and
the NWC out of office as was the treatment meted to other PDP
national chairmen and the NWC in the past.

*PDP Holds NEC meeting Thursday

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
Uche Secondus, has said on assumption of office in 2018, he and
other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) met a
psychologically traumatised PDP that was struggling to adjust to
its new life as an opposition party.

Secondus dropped this hint ahead of the much expected Thursday
National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, where the party is
expected to make critical decisions, includingthe constitution of a
national convention committee and a review of the report on the
zoning of offices for 2023 general election.

Speaking with select journalists on the state of the party
before assuming office, Secondus said, “We took over the party,
when it was still trying to come out of the trauma of losing
election and being in opposition for two years under an intolerant
ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.

“We met a psychologically traumatised party struggling to adjust
to opposition life after 16 years in power. We inherited a party
that had issues with internal democracy. Delegates were not having
the final say on who flies the flag of the party in an election.
Names of winners were randomly and blatantly changed in Abuja with
disregard to the people and the requirements of our constitution,”
he said.

The PDP chair, however, explained that, “By the time our reform
programme came on stream, the party had become an attractive brand
to accommodate the influx of new members that included the entire
leadership of the two chambers of the National Assembly then, the
Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
others members of the parliament at federal and state levels as
well as three incumbent state Governors of Benue, Kwara and Sokoto
who joined us”

On internal democracy, Secondus said, “the decentralisation of
powers to flow from the people made it possible for people to get
party tickets at the congress venue not at party headquarters at
state and national levels,” a development he said allowed popular
and more acceptable candidates to emerge at state congresses and
national convention.

Continuing, he said, “Our national convention in Port Harcourt,
Rivers state in October 2018, became the first of its kind in
Nigeria. It was so transparent that there was no complaint from
anybody. Instead, all the contestants resolved to support the
winner. All these helped to engender confidence and trust in our
leadership,” he explained.

Meanwhile, PDP stakeholders have listed what could be termed a
middle-course solution to the latest party crisis that threatened
to devour Secondus and other members of the NWC.

This is as the party has concluded plans to hold an emergency
National Executive Committee (NEC) this week Thursday, being a part
of the directives by the expanded Board of Trustees that resolved
the intractable leadership crisis.

The NEC meeting will dwell on two issues of the constitution of
the convention committee and the review of the report of Governor
Bala Mohammed committee that reviewed the 2019 presidential
election as well as where the presidential standard bearer of the
party wouldcome from.

Speculation had it that some other interests wanted Secondus
sacked, because of the political permutations of the 2023 general
election and the fear that as national chairman, he wouldplay a
critical role with the NWC.

According to sources, “The fight against Secondus is principally
fanned by forces desperate for the Presidential ticket of the
party, and who see Secondus as an obstruction to their parochial
ambition.

“Some desperate politicians are not happy with Secondus for
insisting on free and fair democratic processes and not allowing
the party structure to go to the so-called godfathers of the
party.”

It was gathered that having instituted the culture of fairness
as witnessed in the 2018 National Convention, such ambitious
individuals feared that they would be unable to realise their
aspirations if Secondus remained chairman.

Particularly, the source said they wanted him and the NWC to
reserve the 2023 Presidential ticket for a particular bloc,
explaining that such persons saw themselves as having a deep vault
capable of buying up the structure of the party and as such, could
do anything they wanted as far as their pockets could sustain
them.

The stakeholders at the expanded BoT meeting took note of the
stability of the party devoid of rancours under the Secondus-led
NWC and concluded that it would not be smart to hound Secondus and
the NWC out of office as was the treatment meted to other PDP
national chairmen and the NWC in the past.