From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) assumed a new twist, yesterday, as the Deputy National Chairman ( South), Elder Yemi Akinwonmi and the Deputy National Chairman (North), Suleiman Nazif, laid claim to the leadership of the opposition party.
A Degema High Court, in Rivers State, had on Monday, restrained the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, from parading himself as national chairman, pending determination of the substantive suit.
Ahead of the 2023 general elections and run-up to the PDP National Convention, power blocs in the opposition party had been at daggers drawn over the control of party structure.
The crisis blew open three weeks ago as a major crack emerged in the National Working Committee (NWC) with six of the members calling for the immediate resignation of Secondus.
However, after a meeting of stakeholders, including PDP governors, members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and members of the National Assembly, it was resolved that the party’s convention, earlier scheduled for December hold in October.
It was also resolved that Secondus should convene a NEC meeting to set up convention and zoning committees. Nevertheless, Daily Sun gathered that NWC at its meeting, last Wednesday, could not agree on convening the NEC immediately, as resolved by the stakeholders.
In the aftermath of the court order restraining Secondus from functioning as party chairman, Akinwonmi, in a statement, yesterday, said he had taken over the affairs of the party in line with Section 35(3) (b) of the PDP constitution, 2017. Consequently, he announced indefinite suspension of the NWC meeting earlier scheduled for yesterday.
The statement read: “Section 35(3) (b) of the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party empowers me to summon and preside over party meetings in the absence of the national chairman.
“Our attention was drawn yesterday evening to a court order which purports to restrain our National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus from summoning and presiding over the meetings of the organs of the party.
“In the foregoing circumstances, as Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party, after the consultations and in exercise of the aforesaid powers, hereby deem it fit and prosper to postpone the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting earlier scheduled for today until further notice to allow for broader consultations in the overall interest of our party.”
However, in a twist, Nazif and some NWC members stormed the party’s secretariat at about 2.30pm for a meeting.
The party officials were escorted by a team of mobile policemen, civil defence operatives and plain clothed security operatives. Immediately, the anti-Secondus NWC members commenced the meeting, the escorts took over the security arrangement around the venue.
Nazif explained that Section 35(3)(d) of the PDP Constitution (2017) empowers him to take over the affairs of the party in acting capacity, in the absence of the national chairman and deputy national chairman (South).
The NWC members at the meeting were the PDP national secretary, Senator Ibrahim Tsauri; national auditor, Adamu Mustapha; national vice chairman, South-South, Dan Orbih; his South-East counterpart, Ali Odefa; national vice-chairman, South-West, Toafeek Arapaja and national youth leader, Sunday Ude-Okoye.
According to him, the NWC was in receipt of the court order restraining Secondus from parading himself as PDP and has complied.
However, Akinwonmi insisted he was the authentic acting national chairman of the party and declared Nazif’s decisions null and void.
Akinwonmi, who was accompanied by the national secretary, Ibrahim Tsauri, said every decision taken by the Nazif group, was null and void.
“I am a man of peace, not a man of crisis. PDP has a good succession order. There is order here. The chairman is followed by the deputy national chairman 1 (South), followed by the deputy national chairman (north).
“Everything conducted here while I was not here is null and void. At the appropriate time, we will call on a meeting of NEC, BoT and we will meet here.
“I appeal to party loyalists, when a father is dead, another father will come. I did not play a part in the death of the former one.”
Akinwonmi, while reacting to the allegation that he was incapacitated, admitted that he was sick for some months but was getting back on his feet.
“Sickness is not a friend of anybody. I was on my way to Wadata Plaza when I had stroke in my car. I was at the Cedacrest hospital for three months. Anybody can be sick but I am getting back and better. It was not my making to be sick. In the past, I could not stand up but I stop up singing the national anthem here this afternoon.
“It is wrong for people to start making reference to my ill health. Anybody can be sick but I am getting better now.”
Tsauri, who was one of those, who attended the NWC meeting presided over by Nazif, earlier in the day, said there was no division the opposition party.
“We are here to adopt the doctrine of necessity. PDP is a law abiding party, with people of integrity and respect.
“Yesterday( Monday), we were faced with something very challenging; which we never expected. We have no other option but to accept the order if the court. There are lawyers that took this matter to court. We have given the judgement to the lawyers to study.
“The meeting that was held this afternoon happened because the constitution says if the national vice chairman 1 is not around, the national vice chairman 2 should take over. The crisis that brought all this started here, it is here and it will end here. We shall be prepared for NEC and convention. NEC will decide when the convention will hold.”