The crisis in Nigeria’s leading opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) appears to have come to a climax as the enemies of Prince Uche Secondus, National Chairman, are having their way following the unanimously endorsement of Elder Yemi Akinwonmi as the Acting Chairman by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
Speaking to the press after its NWC meeting on Thursday at the Party’s headquarters in Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan said that the party’s leadership unanimously endorsed Akinwonmi as it’s Acting Chairman.
The sack of Prince Uche Secondus followed his removal by a High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Said he, “I can clearly say on behalf of our party that we have navigated the turbulence that we found ourselves in and today, like you all witnesses when you came in, there are no factions in the Peoples Democratic Party.
“A motion was moved and Elder Yemi Akinwonmi was unanimously approved as the Acting Chairman of our great party.
“It is interesting for Nigerians to note that this is in line with the provisions of our Constitution. Our party is fully back on stream, we are sailing smoothly. Tomorrow, we are going to have a caucus meeting, and the National Executive Committee will also meet tomorrow in preparation for the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, which will hold on Saturday” he said.
On whether all the factions in the NWC were in agreement on the approval of Akinwonmi as the party’s acting Chairman, Ologbondiya said: “It was a unanimous meeting. There are no sides in the Democratic Party.
“We can have arguments and like I said, we can even have turbulence, but what’s important is how we are able to cruise through the turbulence and have safe landing on arrival” Ologbondiyan stated.
The party further reiterated it’s resolve to hold it’s elective convention in October and further resolved to come up with a list of members for the zoning and convention committees during it’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting slated to hold on Saturday.
Addressing a meeting of members of Board of Trustee at the party headquarters, the Acting Chairman reiterated that PDP is one and back to take over from the ruling party.
“PDP is not dead contrary to what people are saying in the media and social media. PDP is coming stronger than before. That there is a little squabble in PDP is not my making or that of my colleagues. It is situation that called for it but we have responded to it quickly. We have closed ranks. We have put our house in order.
“The NWC have accepted and adopted the end of October as end of our tenure. We will soon set the machinery of the convention in motion. We will soon set the ball rolling for us to have our convention and have new set of officers to come and pilot the affairs of our party.
“In Unity, we shall succeeded and PDP shall regain presidency again. Let us work hard This is the time for PDP to win. This is the time we should be united. This is the time there should be no acrimony. So that we will regain our stolen property” he said.
The Party’s BoT Chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin in his own speech said that the party had resolved all problems and was ready for a seamless convention.
“The BoT accepted the position of the acting chairman of our party, following the provisions in the constitution of the party. That is, the Deputy National Chairman South should resume as the acting chairman of the party.
“The BoT has accepted the documents submitted by the larger caucus of governors, National Assembly members, former governors, former ministers, and so on and these include: the coming elective convention will be in October. They have also agreed to come with a proposed list to the BoT for their own input before NEC”.
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar commended the BoT form bringing order and leadership back to the party.
“I want to commend the BoT. Since we lost power, this BoT has become the most active organ in providing leadership to our great party. Hitherto, since the inception of the party, because we had always had a President who overshadowed the BoT. Now that we are in opposition, we can now see the importance of the BoT. I congratulate all members of the BoT for providing leadership to our party”.
The former VP explained that his long absence from the party was as a result of the fact that he was pursuing a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Cambridge University.
“I believe PDP will meet up to the expectations of Nigerians because they know us more than any other party, we provided the best governance since the return of democracy to this country and I believe Nigerians are not going to forget those good old days.
“But what makes you different is the ability to resolve crisis and we have proved to Nigerisns that we have that ability to resolve our internal crisis. The crises facing the country – banditry, kidnapping, name it, we have the capacity to resolve those crises”.
At the meeting were former Senate Presidents Iyorchia Ayu, David Mark, Pius Anyim, Bukola Saraki, Tom Ikimi, BoT Secretary Evans Ewerem and many others.