The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is presently on fire over the 2023 presidential election as seven Deputy National Officers are allegedly resigning their positions on Tuesday.
The seven deputy national officers, who resigned 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.
Berating Secondus for his style of leadership, one of the national officers, who tendered his resignation lamented that they were been treated “as if we are nobodies.”
The angry officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, “my brother, since our election in 2017, we (deputy national officers) have only met with our chairman, Prince Uche Secondus thrice. It is not as if he called us; on those three occasions, we sought audience with him.
“The most annoying part is that during Christmas and Sallah festivities, the NWC would visit our governors. They would collect money and other items but I can tell you that they don’t share anything with the deputies.
“To him, we are just a necessary evil to be tolerated but never to be catered for. We all have our constituencies and our followers but from the way we are being treated, it appears they see us as nothing but appendages forced on them by the party’s constitution.”
Addressing newsmen shortly after their hot meeting that lasted for several hours, the National Youth Leader, Udeh Okoye said that ten of the NWC members are already on their way out if Secondus fails to resign in four days.
He said that Secondus is incompetent in managing the affairs of this party, adding that he lacks the managerial capacity to manage PDP.
Okoye lamented that many departments of the party are not functioning as effectively as they ought to function, insisting that Secondus has nothing to offer to the party but only to deceive them.
Okoye said: “Mr Uche Secondus, the National Chairman of the party is incompetent of managing the affairs of this party, he lacks the managerial capacity to manage PDP.
“He had made sure that many departments of the party did not function as effectively as it ought to function. Mr Chairman has nothing to offer to the party only to come here and deceive us.
“There is a sharp division in our NWC right now, not only me, many more NWC members are more aggrieved than myself.
“Today I have asked him (Chairman) in our NWC meeting to resign his position as the chairman of this party because he cannot lead this party to victory.
“I am also asking the leaders, the governors, the founding fathers, the youth, the women to rise up to rescue our party from the hand of incompetent leaders like Secondus because he is not willing to take us anywhere. He is just there to make sure that he enriches himself.
“I am here to make it very clear to all Nigerians that if Secondus does not resign from the party, I am going to leave the party for him to eat the party and own the party. The governors, if they don’t wade into this matter right now, I assure Nigerians that within the next three, four days, my letter will be made public.”
Asked how many of them are asking Secondus to resign, Okoye said, “seven deputies have already resigned their positions today because of Secondus, many more people are also going to resign in the NWC because of Secondus.
“Right now I can tell you that not less than eight to ten persons within the NWC members are very aggrieved with Secondus but I have taken my stand because I cannot seat here and one man who ought to respect his age and respect the oat of the party that he has sworn to protect, to defend, to work for the interest of the party will keep making sure that the party does not go anywhere.”
Asked if he has explored the impeachment clause in the constitution of the party instead of resigning your position, the National Youth Leader said, “we are in the process.”
It was, however, gathered that the National Secretary, Senator Ibrahim Tsauri, the National Auditor, Mai Adamu Mustapha and the Deputy Chairman North, Suleiman Nazif have also threatened to resign if Secondus doesn’t resign in four days.
Confirming the resignation of the Seven national officers, the spokesman of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, while briefing newsmen disclosed that the National Working Committee (NWC) received the notice of the resignation from deputies who are elected members of the National Executive Committee.
Ologbondiyan said: “The National Working Committee of our great party at its meeting today (Tuesday) received the notice of the resignation from deputies who are elected members of the National Executive Committee.
“The meeting of the National Working Committee and the deputies immediately took place to dialogue on the issues that were raised. The party will look into the grievances raised by members of NEC as well as members of the National Working Committee.
“The internal conflict resolution mechanism of our party has also been immediately activated to put these issues behind us. We call on all the leaders, stakeholders and members of our great party to remain calm as we collectively resolve these issues.”
Reacting to the briefing by the National Youth Leader, the National Chairman, Secondus said it took Okoye three and a half years and four to five months to the convention, to realize that he’s incompetent.
He said: “It is very unfortunate because he has operated as the youth leader of this party since December 2017 with Secondus as National Chairman and has worked with him but suddenly, few months to the convention, after the game of this morning, in some party of Abuja, he suddenly discovered that Secondus is incompetent, he suddenly discovered that Secondus is enriching himself?”
Speaking on behalf of the National Chairman, the Media Adviser to Secondus, Ike Abonyi said, “I want to assure members of the party that the structure of the party is intact and Prince Secondus is the National Chairman and anybody who resigns the position will be filled the next day and this party will work to victory in 2023, there is no going back about it.
“All those who are looking for interim government a few months to the general election are taking us back to Egypt and nobody is ready to go back to Egypt. We have passed through this road before and we don’t want to go back there.”