The leadership crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has worsened as some deputy national officers have demanded the resignation of its Acting National Chairman, Uche Secondus. They have also asked embattled National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh and ex-chairman, Haliru Bello Mohammed to resign. The duo are facing trial over the arms deal scandal.
A statement made available to newsmen yesterday and signed by the officers, asked Secondus to revert to his former designation as Deputy National Chairman in compliance with the ruling of an Abuja High court.
Giving judgment on December 15 last year in a suit instituted by an adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, the court had directed Secondus to vacate his office within 14 days.
Secondus had since appealed the judgment but the deputy national officers in the statement noted that the ruling was declaratory and no order of stay of execution from any other court has been granted.
Signatories to the statement, Dennis Alonge-Niyi, Deputy National Youth Leader, Bashir Maidugu, Deputy National Legal Adviser, Mr Okey Nnaedozie, Deputy National Organizing Secretary and Abdullahi Jalo, Deputy National Publicity Secretary appealed to members of two statutory organs of the party: the National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) to prevail on Secondus to step down and allow the North-east zone to produce a substantive chairman in line with the party’s constitution.
“It is in our common interest and the interest of democracy that the Abuja High Court ruling of December 15, 2015 on the National Chairmanship must therefore, be respected and implemented.
“This is a declaratory ruling where no order of stay of execution from any other court has been granted.
“The NEC must do the needful by selecting a suitable national chairman from the North -East to complete their tenure in accordance with our tradition and the party’s constitution.
“In pursuance of this therefore, Prince Secondus should revert back to his constitutional position of deputy as a matter of urgency.
The officers also asked the party faithful to disregard the national convention scheduled for March by the Secondus-led National Working Committee (NWC), while calling for external auditors to audit the accounts.
The deputy national officers further demanded for resignation of Bello and Metuh from their positions as Acting Chairman of BoT and National Publicity Secretary, respectively following their trial in the alleged diversion of funds meant for arms purchase into the presidential campaign fund of former president and PDP candidate in the last general elections, Dr Goodluck Jonathan.
“We hereby strongly dissociate the Peoples Democratic Party from the ongoing trials of Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed (Acting Chairman Board of Trustees) and Chief Olisa Metuh (National Publicity Secretary) on various charges by the anti-graft agencies.
“They must bear full responsibility for their actions and must henceforth refrain from dragging the name of the party into the mud.
Special Adviser on Media to the National Publicity Secretary, Richard Ihediwa, could not be reached for comment as his lines were switched off. But Secondus, in a telephone interview with Daily Sun dismissed signatories to the statement as ignorant of the party’s constitution. Apparently referring to the All Progressives Congress, Secondus also alleged that “they are being used by the other party.”
Secondus said: “They took us to court and we have appealed. They are ignorant of the law. The Constitution is clear that in the absence of chairman, the deputy assumes position.
Reacting to the development, the NWC said: “The attention of the national leadership of the PDP has been drawn to reports in the media credited to some members of the party regarding the on-going ordeal of some of our leaders with the EFCC as well as issues relating to the position of the National Chairman of our great party.
“Moreover, any person or group which in any way feels aggrieved by any issue regarding our party should, as responsible party members channel such through the appropriate internal mechanisms instead of resorting to dragging our party in the mud in the media. Such, only portrays pursuit of personal ambition and interest instead of the collective good of our great party at a critical time as this.
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