Defeated PDP Aspirants Threaten to Form Parallel National Exco

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The dissatisfaction arising from the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is yet to abate, as a group under the auspices of the PDP 2017 National Convention Candidates and Stakeholders’ Forum has threatened to form a parallel National Working Committee (NWC) of the party if the results of the convention are not reversed.
In a document dated December 12 and made available to the media wednesday, the group called on the chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibrin to convene an emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) within seven days, failing which they shall form a parallel NWC of the party.

Two of the aspirants, Chief Godwin Chinedu Duru who contested the position of National Organising Secretary (NOS) and Edede Franklyn who contested for the National Youth Leader’s post, were among those who signed the document.

Although it could not be ascertained if those that signed the document had the backing of some of the chairmanship aspirants who lost out in the contest that threw up Mr. Uche Secondus as the new chairman of the PDP, the convention last Saturday was characterised by protesting contenders for the post.

Two of the contenders for the post of national chairman of the PDP – Prof. Tunde Adeniran and Chief Raymond Dokpesi – had cried out over the existence of a “unity list” said to have been put together by an influential power bloc of the PDP and contained the names of aspirants who were favoured by the bloc.

Dokpesi was later to accept the outcome of the elective convention and congratulated Secondus for his victory.

But it is believed that there might still be other defeated aspirants who remain aggrieved over the conduct of the convention.

According to the ultimatum issued by the aggrieved PDP aspirants, “Failure to address items 2 and 3 above, we would have no option but to announce the correct results and inaugurate the authentic National Working Committee of our great party, the PDP.”

However, the former National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh yesterday called on defeated aspirants to rally round the Secondus-led NWC, in the interest of the party.
Metuh noted that the outcome of the election did not in anyway detract from the credibility and the qualification of those elected.

“What is needed now is for them to join hands with the new leadership to reposition the PDP for the task ahead,” the former PDP spokesman pleaded.

Metuh, in a statement he personally signed, urged aggrieved aspirants to join hands with the new party leadership to “provide a credible opposition that will continuously provide alternatives and options to the policies and programmes of the ruling party”.

He described Secondus as “a tried and tested hand and proven party administrator with exceptional institutional memory to handle the affairs of our great party”.

“It is incontrovertible that the activities leading to the PDP elective national convention and the outcome thereof have left no one in doubt that the party has been repositioned to take over power in 2019.

“It is instructive to note that nobody, not even the worst of critics, has questioned Prince Secondus’ competence and capacity to lead the party at this critical time,” he said.

He acknowledged that whereas the PDP had embraced the zoning principle, the cardinal principle of the party and the underlying vision of its founding fathers remain the promotion of competence and merit.
“All that is now needed is to implement the burning desire and yearnings by Nigerians for a credible opposition that will continuously provide alternatives and options to the policies and programmes of the ruling party.

“It is therefore needful that we all join the Uche Secondus-led NWC in the collective task of rebuilding our great party and ensuring success in the quest to regain our lost glory,” Metuh said.