PDP Crisis: Atiku denies sponsoring move to sack Secondus

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar on Wednesday denied the insinuation that his visit to Port Harcourt recently, neccesitated the move to sack the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus.

Atiku said it it ridiculous to say he’s the one behind the move to sack Secondus when he’s promoting peace and stability in the party.

In a telephone chat with newsmen, the Media Adviser to Atiku, Paul Ibe said, “It is a beer parlour talk, it is also mischief. Why will a former Vice President be behind the plot to sack PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus? What will be is interest?

“Someone who has commenced the process of having conversations with stakeholders of the party on reconciliation. A man who has encouraged processes aimed at ensuring peace and stability in the party.

“The trip he made to Port Harcourt, held similar one in Delta. And he has more in the offing. Why will he promote peace and stability in the party and be behind moves to sack Secondus? It’s ridiculous for anyone to talk about this.

“Atiku understands the Constitution of the PDP and what the party stated about tenure for party leadership. So he cannot be working against something that he understands and promotes. That is not how democrats behave, those are anti-democratic behaviour and that is not who he is. Whoever is saying this, should know that this is a beer parlour talk and unnecessary mischief.”

Asked on his effort  to resolve the crisis rocking the party, he said, “the crisis is related, we can not isolate one from the other. He recognizes that there are issues, like in every party administration. When you have more than two persons, people will have different positions, so the important thing is how to resolve them. And he has commenced the movement to resolve the issues.

“Atiku is an individual, yes a major stakeholder in the party, and he has taken steps to bring everybody together to see how these issues can be peacefully resolved. They are all related, either the one that happens now or before. They are all part of the larger problem facing the party.”

Meanwhile, the National Chairman on Wednesday met the aggrieved deputy national officers and appeal for calm.

Recall that seven deputy national officers had on Tuesday resigned their appointments. The officers are: Diran Odeyemi, deputy national publicity secretary; Ahmed Bello, deputy national legal adviser; Umoru Hadizat, deputy national women leader; Divine Amina Arong, deputy national auditor; Hassan Yakubu, deputy national organizing secretary; and Irona Alphonsus, deputy national financial secretary.

The officers, who cited “bad treatment” exhibited by the party National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, since the election that brought the current leadership of the party to power in 2017, also alleged that there is a lack of financial transparency in the leadership.

Secondus appealed to the national officers to sheath their swords, as the tenure of the National Working Committee (NWC) led by him will end in the next four months.

A source at the meeting, which was held at the party national secretariat, told our correspondent that some of the aggrieved members, about four, have made u-turn on their resignation move, adding that they promised to reconsider their action.

According to the source, “Secondus told the aggrieved national officers that we started together and there is the need to end together in peace.”

In their meeting on Tuesday night, it was gathered that the NWC members, who met with party stakeholders and some Board of Trustees members, resolved to go back to their constituents on how to resolve the crisis rocking the party.

It was gathered that there was not time frame on the meeting of the NWC with their constituents.

Meanwhile, the former governor of Bayelsa state, Seriake Dickson had on Tuesday and Wednesday met with Secondus on the crisis rocking the party.

Dickson, in a statement after meeting with Secondus, warned that attempt by few people to hijack the party will lead to implosion.

Senator Dickson, who was the former Chairman of PDP reconciliation committee, said that he has observed for some time the growing tension, recriminations and outright attack on the National Chairman and members of the National Working Committee by some leaders of the party.

“One has refrained from making statements because we believe that the party has internal mechanisms and levels of leadership that will handle it and I was infact aware that BOT members, governors and other elders, reconciliation committee, collectively and individually, have been making efforts to resolve some of these disputes and challenges affecting the stability of the party.

“As we are all aware, some officers of our party, resigned yesterday and we should thank them for their services but If their resignation is aimed at causing  crisis in  the party then we should all condemn it and those behind it.

“By the party’s constitution the appropriate authority, the NWC is empowered to make replacements. I therefore call on the National Chairman and other members of the NWC in accordance with the constitution of the party to immediately make appropriate consultations from the states and zones from which these officers have resigned and forthwith, make those replacements subject to ratification by the NEC.”

Dickson said that an emergency NEC meeting should be convened which should take appropriate decisions to stabilize the party, adding that if there is any member of the working committee who wants to resign, such a person should consider the over all interest of the party and have a rethink. 

“If however, any NWC members goes ahead to resign, the  resignation should be accepted and consultations be made by the Chairman and NWC to fill those positions as temporary vacancies subject to ratification,” he said.

The former governor urged the National Chairman and NWC members to utilize their powers under the constitution to discipline erring members involved in the nefarious plot to destroy the party. 

He said PDP is bigger than any individual and should no longer tolerate people with inordinate ambitions to destroy the party which belongs to all Nigerians, adding, “people with ambition must know that unless the party is stabilized and strengthened, their ambition will be of no consequence even if they pocket it.”

He said if the PDP shrinks from a party for all to a party for a few, it would lose its selling point and many members and leaders will have no option than to review their membership. 

“We are not a ruling party at the centre. We don’t have the time, resources and mechanisms to resolve problems that will arise from a caretaker committee which will throw up more problems before the party convention and primaries at the centre and across the states. 

“I caution all those behind this crisis not to leave any opening to the APC to exploit with their control of the resources and machinery of  Government. 

“We should all learn from the challenge the APC has found itself with the appointment of a caretaker committee which is still unfolding. With only four months to the end of the tenure of the current working committee, it does not make sense to either push for and force a resignation, or to force the appointment of a caretaker committee on a party with officers who have a constitutionally guaranteed tenure.

“Furthermore, with only about a year to the nomination of candidates in the light of the ongoing electoral acts amendments bill, it again does not make sense to push a divisive agenda that the party may not have the time resources and mechanism to resolve before the nomination processes and primaries which by their nature are divisive. 

“Our singular target and focus for now if we are serious, should be to stabilize and strengthen the NWC by supporting it and correcting whatever may be wrong in-house quietly while putting our effort wholly on the task of identifying and selecting credible candidates and ensuring fair primaries. 

“Our window of opportunity to take over power  in 2023 is fast receding as a result of these self inflicted challenges and the hope that Nigerians have in us as an alternative is fast dimming too unless we pull back from the brinks and do so quickly.

“I call on our governors to close ranks and stop the unnecessary battles amongst themselves, support one another and work with other leaders to strengthen and support the party, rather than weakening it,” Dickson said.

He called on the National Assembly Caucus of the party, elders and leaders of the party across the country to stand with the National chairman and the NWC to prevent the party from this avoidable crisis.

Effort to reach the former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki on the development in PDP proved abortive, as his media aide, Yusuf Olaniyanu failed to pick his calls.

Also speaking, the National Chairman of the party, Secondus revealed that plot to hijack the party structure is reason behind the crisis.

Secondus, in a statement by his media aide, Ike Abonyi said why is it that few months to national convention of the party, somebody is routing for a Caretaker Committee to run the affairs of the party? 

He said: “The media office of the National Chairman is privy to an intelligence that the strong party chieftain bent on hijacking the party structure for destruction is still on the lose with the main agenda of denting the image of Prince Uche Secondus the National Chairman.

“Reports reaching this office shows clearly that this character is deploying all devious means to try and diminish the person and character  of the National Chairman with a view to having his way of ultimately hijacking the structure for his disproportionately large ambition.

“We therefore wish to alert the general public particularly media houses and party stakeholders to look out for strange deployment of luring gifts from this destructive ‘Father Christmas’ all aimed at having a grip on the soul of our party by having a caretaker Committee.

“What continues to shock many party observers is the real reason behind the desperation of this man to get at the National Chairman and the quantum of public funds being expended to achieve this illicit goal few months to the National Convention.

“Few months to National Convention anybody who mean well for this party and who is a true democrat, should respect the constitution of the party and approach issues dispassionately.”