Politics
Defections: Oyinlola May Emerge PDP Chairman As Secondus Faces Sack
Indications have emerged to the effect that the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) may sack its National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus ahead of the 2023 Presidential election, following the spate of defections that have hit the party.
A PDP top notch who should know, told ThePageNews that the party’s leadership may be zoned to the South west as the SouthSouth where Secondus hails from is being considered for the presidency by the party.
To this end, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola of Osun state, it was gathered, may replace Secondus as the PDP national chairman.
Dark clouds are believed to be gathering over the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as bigwigs of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) poised to whittle its structures down ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Pundits say the political strategies being adopted by the APC ahead of 2023 are far-reaching and would require concerted effort in the PDP if it is to survive.
This, it is argued, is part of the party’s effort to prove as wrong the impression that President Muhammadu Buhari’s exit at the expiration of his tenure in 2023, would lead to the collapse of the APC.
Some APC bigwigs had predicted during the reign of Adams Oshiomhole, as the party’s national chairman, that the party would cease to enjoy federal power after President Buhari’s tenure.
However, with Oshiomhole’s abrupt exit from the APC headquarters following the dissolution of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party in June 2020, the strength of the party, its modus operandi and agenda for 2023 have changed.
The APC is “waging a war” against the PDP, which reigned for 16 years after the return of democracy in 1999, after years of military rule.
When APC won the general election and “seized” federal power in 2015, many PDP leaders left for the ruling party, ahead of the 2019 general elections.
The same scenario is playing out ahead of the 2023 poll as top PDP leaders are jumping ship. Political alignment and realignment have begun in the country in the form of defections.
A few months ago, the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee received some PDP bigwigs who jumped ship into its fold.
A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; former national chairman of the PDP, Senator Barnabas Gemade and Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi, have dumped PDP for APC.
Others are; National Assembly Chief Whip Jimoh Ibrahim, former Head of Service of the Federation, Mr Danladi Kifasi, Sen Isa Hamma Misau, Alhaji Salisu Takai, Senator Elisha Abbo from Adamawa State, and many others.
Majority of the defectors attributed their decisions to alleged poor handling of issues and injustice in the PDP, a claim that was rebuffed by the opposition party.
With the political twists and turns, the polity is twitching while the main political actors in the APC have been relentlessly meeting and wooing bigwigs in the PDP.
Recently, there was widespread rumour that APC top leaders were in talks with former President Goodluck Jonathan to dump PDP and pitch tent with them in the ruling party. That was, however, debunked.
Similarly, a former governor of Ogun State who was Campaign Manager for PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the 2019 general elections, Otumba Gbenga Daniel, defected to the ruling party on Tuesday. Also, a former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Azubuike Ihejirika, on Tuesday joined the APC. Many House of Representatives members have also crossed over to APC.
Sources within the party mentioned that the gale of defections had triggered a move to sack the party’s national chairman.
The Chairman, Secondus has been surviving sack moves since the party lost the 2019 general elections, and after Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State defected.
A group, Concerned South-West Professionals(CSP), has called on the national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to call former Ekiti State governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, to order, saying his antics were capable of ruining the party in the South-West geopolitical zone.
According to the group, the former governor is on assignment in the South-West to create division within PDP in order to actualize the presidential ambition of his new godfather in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Bola Tinubu.
In a statement released in Lagos and signed by its publicity secretary, Alhaji Ismail Adeyemi, the group said any attempt by the national leadership of the PDP to merely look on while Fayose decimates PDP in the South-West would not augur well for the party.
The statement read: “An ex-governor who could not deliver his state to PDP during the last governorship election in Ekiti is going about, hobnobbing with the opposition, casting aspersions on the only PDP governor in the South-West, Mr. Seyi Makinde, and organising parallel congresses.
“Nigerians cannot have forgotten how Fayose consistently opposed former Governor Olusegun Mimiko while the latter served as chairman of the PDP Governors Forum towards the end of his (Mimiko’s) tenure and succeeded in driving him out of the party with his recklessness and bigotry.
” Fayose treated Mimiko, who had been in politics long before him and was his senior in age, with utter scorn, assassinating his character and pouring invectives on him.
“Yet when Fayose succeeded Mimiko as chairman of Southern PDP Governors Forum, nobody struggled with him for that particular position.
“For him now to be going about maligning Governor Seyi Makinde beats the imagination, although we are not surprised because his history of dictatorship, crudity and self-aggrandizement is well known.
“Fayose is on record as pouring invectives on elders of the party, some of whom are old enough to be his father, and it is astounding that members of the NEC and NWC of PDP have kept quiet while he continues to stoke divisions and rancour in the party.”
CSP added that governance is not a matter of age, as many governors have parents and even grandparents but everybody respects their authority.
“By undermining the governor of Oyo State, Fayose is insulting the party executives as a collective.
“He should be called to order before his divide and rule tactics cause chaos in PDP,” the group said.
…says South West zone ready for congresses
Governor ‘Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Thursday, asked the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to call its National Legal Adviser to order to ensure rancour-free zonal congresses in the party.
The governor said: “I specifically put on notice that the National Legal Adviser of PDP has not done well. When the issue of the party structure in Lagos came up, I met him personally and advised him that, look, we have alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in this country, especially when its an internal affair of the PDP.
“I came here to brief you, first, on the meeting of the South West caucus of the PDP that was held here two days ago and also to discuss briefly the happenings within the PDP National Working Committee as it relates to upcoming South West zonal congress of the party.
“At the meeting, we reaffirmed the zoning arrangement for the positions of the South West zonal executives, and also each state, by now, has been able to put together a unity list, which we intend to take to the congress proper. “But yesterday, I heard of disturbing news that our National Working Committee is planning to postpone the South West zonal congress because some people went to court to complain about the location for the conduction of the congress.
“There are three things that are coming out of the court move. One, I want to say that PDP has moved from allowing within its fold, reactionary elements to hold sway. Maybe in the past, it was possible for elements within PDP to collude with the National Working Committee to file cases where they are the plaintiffs and defendants. And they also try to corrupt the judicial system in Nigeria. That will not be allowed because this is a PDP that is getting ready to take the mantle of leadership in this country. We want to provide leadership that is above board for the country and we cannot be seen within PDP to do something that will compromise any aspect of governance in Nigeria.”
“As the only serving PDP governor in the South West Nigeria and a very interested party in the growth and development of our party, we do not foresee a parallel congress. That is why we are putting members of the National Working Committee of the party on notice that they must do what is right in this instance and I believe they will do what is right.”
“There are three things that are coming out of the court move. One, I want to say that PDP has moved from allowing within its fold, reactionary elements to hold sway.
The governor further stated that the South West should be allowed to conduct its congress around the same time the other zones would be conducting theirs.
“The engagement is ongoing with the leadership of the party at the national level. If the rest of the country are having their zonal congress, I don’t see anything that will be different with the South West.
“But if they are toeing the path of ‘arrangee’, that would mean they are taking PDP back to an era that we should have forgotten about in this country.”
Former Senate President Bokola Saraki has said ex-President Goodluck Jonathan will offer his experience, time, and resources for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to return to power.
Saraki disclosed this to newsmen on Tuesday, shortly after leading members of the party’s national reconciliation and strategy committee to a meeting with Jonathan at his Abuja residence.
Saraki also ruled out the former president’s defection to All Progressives Congress (APC), saying Jonathan is bent on seeing the PDP bounces back to national reckoning, particularly at the center.
Saraki said the purported move of the ruling APC to woo Jonathan into the party will not see the light of the day.
Saraki was evasive while responding to questions on whether the meeting had to do with the possibility of fielding Jonathan for the presidency in 2023.
“We spoke about what role former Presidents like him will play and he left us feeling very happy that yes, he will like to play that role in the PDP and helping our committee to move forward,” he said.
“We are members of the national reconciliation and strategy committee set up by the party and part of our task is to meet with our former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
“We are starting off with our former President and we are here to let him know what our plans are and also to hear his own views and advice on what we need to do and how to do it as well as how we need to strengthen the party and reconcile aggrieved members in order to bring about unity and focus in our party.
“It was a very useful meeting. He gave us his views and we are very happy. He reassured all of us of his commitment to the PDP and he told us that he is still ready to offer his time, experience, and resources to strengthen the party and that is very strong and important for us.
“Of course, you know there are funny issues going on but we are leaving this place very happy. He is also ready to work with the reconciliation committee to play his own. That is a great step for the party. We have put that behind us all those people of the other party that would like to come and disturb our leaders. Our leaders are here and they are ready to work for the party.”
The meeting lasted for almost two hours and was very productive, according to Saraki.
Former governors of Katsina, Gombe, and Cross Rivers states; Ibrahim Shema, Ibrahim Dankwambo, and Liyel Imoke are among those who attended.
Others are a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim; and erstwhile House of Representatives leader, Hon. Mulikat Adeola-Akande.
Saraki’s committee was inaugurated months after the PDP lost the presidential election to the All Progressive Congress (APC) in 2019.
Among its objectives is reconciling aggrieved members who have left the party and as well wooing new members to the party ahead of the next general election.
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