PDP NEC: Pitching tent with Secondus amid rumbles

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) summoned an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting last Thursday. LEON USIGBE writes on its verdicts on it National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus and the substantive matter of insecurity in the country.

The last emergency meeting of the main opposition party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) was intended to dwell on the forthcoming Anambra State gubernatorial election, particularly how the party would fund its participation in the exercise to achieve desired success. But as it turned out, the highest decision-making body of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) became enmeshed in the effort to launder the battered image of the National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, who had in recent times become the target of sundry allegations over his handling of the former ruling party.

The NEC examined all the allegations and in the end gave him a clean bill of health. This verdict came upon a motion for vote of confidence moved by former governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu. The NEC unanimously passed the vote of confidence in Secondus as well as other members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and cautioned party members at all levels to be wary of agents of distractions and division while praising the NWC for being focused and purpose-driven in piloting the affairs of the party.

The motion was driven by allegations that Secondus had become engrossed in an exercise of self-preservation, desperate to hang on to the position and, consequently, working assiduously to retain the presidential ticket of the party in the North under a scheme designed to help him keep his post as the national chairmanship position would then be zoned to his region, the South.

Reports had also emerged of a split in the NWC with the national auditor of the party, Mai Mustapha, allegedly authoring a petition accusing Secondus of being reckless and running a one-man show as far as the finances of the PDP were concerned. But Mustapha quickly shut down the rumours, claiming that they were a creation of the social media. He said at a press conference that he was shocked to see the accusations because he never made them.  According to him, a routine memo to the NWC meeting that was apparently the source of the accusations was misrepresented in the media to achieve a sinister purpose against the party.

The PDP also recently had a reason to publicly deny perceived moves to oust the Rivers State-born Secondus as the national chairman. Even though his tenure will not end until December, some of his opponents within the party were said to have seen the crises in the different zones as well as the defection of some prominent members to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a catalyst to press for his removal. The move was denied by the party and its subsequent successful conduct of zonal congresses appeared to have laid the matter to rest.

However, a suspended member of the party, Kassim Afegbua, introduced a new twist to the numerous issues Secondus had to deal with, dragging him before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (INEC) over an alleged N10 billion fraud purportedly arising from the party’s sale of nomination forms.  Afegbua claimed in his petition to the anti-graft agency that much of the financial transactions of the PDP under Secondus had been shrouded in mystery, accusing the leadership of deliberate attempt to short-change the party. The petitioner specifically prayed the EFCC to investigate the funds that accrued to the party from 2017 till date, especially on the sale of nomination forms for the various elections.

The governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, who spoke on behalf of PDP state chief executives in the NEC meeting, blamed the schisms in the party on external forces, particularly the APC, noting that the governors have however resolved to be loyal to the party leadership and to work together to wrest power from the ruling party in 2023.

“PDP is the only party that is organised. You can see we just ended the NEC. There is no any rancour; there is no any conflict and you can see the array of human capital here. And if we go back a little further, you will see how the PDP was able to conduct its recruitment process and we have been able to deliver the dividend of democracy,” he declared shortly after the meeting.

Despite this position, the allegations against Secondus were significant enough to attract the attention of NEC, triggering deliberations and the subsequent vote of confidence in him and members of the NWC.

After the deliberation on the substantive matters, including the current state of the nation, NEC called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency on insecurity. The committee, while noting the escalated situation pervading all parts of the nation, blamed it “primarily to the misrule of President Muhammed Buhari and All Progressives Congress (APC) as well as their failure to decisively tackle the menace of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, bloodletting and acts of violence in our country.”

In arriving at its conclusions, the NEC drew on the opening remarks of the National Chairman, who had painted a sad picture of the security situation of the country and the apparent helplessness of government. Secondus told the party chieftains: “Clearly, anarchy is being let loose on the people with the government unable to provide any resistance. We have therefore invited you to enable the party as the main opposition in the country adds its voice to the worrisome situation with a view to saving not just democracy but even the country. Having shown clearly its incapacity, the APC led-government has swallowed its pride and now invited international community to come and help out. This ought to have been done long ago instead of pretending and spilling innocent blood.

“For us as opposition, any sacrifice to stop the endless bloodletting of innocent citizens should be activated including but not limited to immediate convocation of National Conference on security for a comprehensive and all-embracing deliberations on the future of this country. All the ‘noise’ for 2023 will amount to naught if the security challenges are not drastically addressed. Your Excellences, leaders of our party, I therefore invite NEC to note on this very critical matter with a view to offering the necessary advice to the government at all levels for prompt solution. This has become necessary as nothing, not even 2023 is realistic if security issues are not adequately addressed.”

The Minority Leader of the House, Ndudi Elumelu, speaking on behalf of the House PDP Caucus, echoed the country’s dire security situation and informed the meeting that even APC members have become fed up with their government that they are now willing to join forces with the PDP to salvage the country. “I am pleased to report to NEC that given our unrelenting efforts, many of our colleagues in the APC have seen reasons to join forces with us and they have expressed their readiness to cross over to our party for the patriotic task ahead,” he said.

Flowing from the above positions and others expressed at the meeting, NEC urged President Buhari to immediately declare a national state of emergency on security. It also urged him to, without delay; convoke a national conference on insecurity so as to galvanize ideas and options to tackle the menace. The NEC commended the efforts of governors, senators, House of Representatives members and other officials elected on the platform of the PDP in forcefully seeking solutions to the spate of insecurity.

On the programmes of the party, NEC expressed satisfaction with the efforts of the NWC in preparation for the November 6 Governorship elections in Anambra state and asserted its readiness to do everything possible, within the confines of the law, to win the election. The committee also received reports on the e-registration of members.

The outcome of the meeting suggests that the main opposition party is willing to set politics aside on the issue of insecurity, but observers say given its fractious and often suspicious relationship with ruling party, it is doubtful if the APC government would ever give a thought to what the PDP has to offer as solutions to the worsening insecurity.

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