The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has once again changed the history of party conventions following the overwhelming 2,000 votes secured by Prince Uche Secondus to emerge as the National Chairman of the self-acclaimed largest political party in Africa.
Secondus floored other aspirants like Prof. Tunde Adeniran who garnered 230 votes and Chief Raymond Alegho Dokpesi who scored 66 votes.
in an exclusive report on Tuesday, November 28, 2017 that judging from the political permutations on the ground and coupled with his experience, Secondus would emerge as the PDP National Chairman.
It is instructive to note that the national convention was attended by most of the active stakeholders in the PDP with former President Goodluck Jonathan leading the roll call. Others were former Vice President Namadi Sambo, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, members of the PDP Board of Trustee (BoT) led by Senator Wali. Each state adorned in their state attire embossed with the image of their state governors.
Pre-election intrigues
Prior to the election, the principle of micro zoning for the office of the national chairman failed in the South. The party had ab-initio stated that the position is open to any candidate from the zone but allowed them to go for micro zoning or reach consensus as the case may be.
Secondus was more strategic in his quest to clinch the prime position. He started by oiling his relationships with the governors and he worked very closely with them when he was the acting national chairman.
As a former state chairman and National Vice Chairman, he had very cordial relationship with state chairmen across the country. He was also favoured by his dedicated party spirit and he, according to some party stalwarts, was an indispensable ally of the Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and was handy when former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amechi sent Wike on political asylum.
Secondus was also instrumental to the return of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to the party. He played a key role on the defeat of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and joined forces with Wike, Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose and other governors to frustrate Sheriff. He supported the National Caretaker Committee led by Senator Ahmed Makarafi and in the process carved himself into their hearts.
Secondus and other aspirants
Chief Olabode George was also a heavy weight in the chairmanship bout. A factor that seriously worked against him was that the PDP had never won any substantial position in his Lagos State.
Although George was a member of the BoT and a former National Vice Chairman, he did not make any substantial impact in the state. Lagos State chapter of the party was in perpetual crises. The express of interest by Jimi Agbaje contributed in affecting the chances of George.
Adeniran was also a major contender in the race and was able to mobilise the Arewa elders to endorse his candidature. But he was not able to get his state governor, Ayodele Fayose, to buy into his project which is very key in every political aspiration. For Fayose, Adeniran is an Abuja- based politician and major players feel that he cannot deliver even his ward to the party.
Professor Taoheed Ladoja was also seen as a politician who has nothing to contribute to the party just as Aderemi, the newest entrant who according to many, is just a passenger in the race.
The odds against the South West
The major obstacle to the emergence of a candidate from the South West was basically due to the inability of the zone to field a strong candidate or go for consensus.
In as much as some aspirants from the zone abandoned the race in the last minute, political analysts are of the view that the time was not enough to re-programme the psyche of the delegates and also perfect strategies that will deliver bulk votes to Adeniran.
Wike opposed to South West Chairmanship
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, who spoke in a monitored television programme, said that it will not be fair for the South West to produce the next Chairman because they have little stake in the party.
Wike maintained that the South West allowed themselves to be battered by the All Progressives Congress (APC), adding that most of the states in the zone are in crises.
He said that the zone makes little contribution to the centre and does not deserve the position of the party chairman.
He wondered why the party should work for the zone to produce the national chairman when they did not bring anything to the table.
According to Wike, the zone must work and get the party active in the zone before they can make a demand from the party. There is a popular belief that the outbursts of Wike was a true reflection of the decision of the PDP governors.
The controversial Unity List
Media mogul, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, has described the convention as a charade that may destroy the party following the discovery of a unity list containing names of candidates believed to have won elections into various National leadership positions in the party. He explained that the 21 names of candidates contained in the list appeared on the ballot papers as number one and in the Voting boots as number one. He revealed that complaints has been lodged to the chairman of the PDP electoral committee headed by former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam who confirmed that he has seen the list but cannot confirm its authenticity. Adeniran also walked out of the convention, due to the emergence of the list, describing the entire process as fraudulent.
Reclaiming the Villa
Speaking after his historic election, Secondus said that his target is to quit President Muhammadu Buhari from the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.
Secondus described Buhari as a tenant in the Villa and stressed the resolve of the party to reclaim the number one residence.
He said, “By my understanding, the mandate you have given us today is clear and unambiguous. It is to return our party to power come 2019. As Herculean as this mandate seems, I know it’s achievable. My campaign pillars for this election are ‘To Rebuild, Reposition and Regain’.
“Let me assure you great members and leaders of our party that by the grace of God and with all hands on deck, the brief tenancy of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Aso Rock Villa expires on May 28, 2019. By this, we serve them a quit notice. “This has to be immediate, in order to save our beloved country from disintegration. We are all witnesses to how the unity of this country has been shaken to its very foundation under the watch of the rudderless and clueless APC. We therefore have a gigantic task of retrieving this country from the APC’s clear lack of direction and confusion starting with the Presidency. To actualize this dream, the party has already launched an online campaign with the tag: #kickapcout2019.
Atiku congratulates Secondus
Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has congratulated the new elected members of the National Working Committee (NWC), saying that the major problems of Nigeria and the PDP is the APC. In a statement issued by the Atiku Media Office (AMO), the front line politician reminded party members that Nigerians are looking unto the party as a reliable and credible alternative.
The Turaki Adamawa also asked for unity amongst members of the PDP, following the conclusion of election of the party’s executive at its National Convention on Saturday.
He told them that the immediate challenge before the newly elected national officials of the PDP is to run an all-inclusive administration where the various interests within the party can find accommodation.
Atiku reminded them that Nigerians are looking up to the PDP for unity in the party, “because it takes a united and coherent PDP to sack the APC government in 2019″.
The statement reads: “Our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party is, again, at the threshold of an historical moment. Just as we mobilized to put an end to prolonged military rule in 1999, the people of Nigeria at this moment look up to us to rescue the country from the mis-government of the APC.
“Arising from our elective congress, there should be no victor and no vanquished. Our paramount attention should be focused at sacking a government that deceived the people of Nigeria into power by promising our youths three million jobs annually, only to deliver three million job lodses annually; a government that is repeatedly living in denial of its commitment to restructuring. We must be united to take power back to where it belongs: the Nigerian people.
“As members of the PDP, we must take pride in being able to hold a national convention and in so doing live up to the bill of being a truly democratic political party. Our major opponent has not been able to achieve this feat and I join millions of our party members to congratulate the Ahmed Makarfi-led national caretaker committee.
“I understand that there are complaints and grievances from many of the co-contestants in the congress. I am aware that the PDP has a mechanism for addressing such complaints and it is important that such avenues of redress are made available for members to explore without let or hindrance Meantime, I call on ALL our leaders and members to rally the new executive for the sake of our party, Nigeria and the good of our people,” Atiku stated.
