PDP Crisis: Group Calls For Resignation Of NWC; Rejects Lauretta Onochie As INEC Commissioner

By Akinwale Kasali

The National Chairman of the opposition Party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  Uche Secondus and the National Working Committee are in the eye of the storm.

There have been brewing crisis in the Party, largely from the South West  and the North Central parts of the country. This has, now, led to the call for the immediate resignation of the National Chairman and the NWC.

In the South West, it is power tussle between Governor Seyi Makinde and former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Peter Fayose, over who controls the Party structure in the Region.

In the North Central, mostly in Niger State, a Group in the PDP, under the aegis of Concerned PDP League, demanded the resignation of Secondus, the NWC and Chairman of its Board of Trustees Chairman, Sen. Walid Jibrin, due to the alleged failure of the PDP National leaders to provide the desired proactive and strong opposition Party yearning by alleged patriotic Party members and Nigerians to rescue the country from the shackles of the Party at the center, the All Progresssives Congress, APC.

At a press conference in Abuja, the leader of the Group, Warmate Daboikiabo, said it was constrained to make the resignation ademand because their leaders have failed and qperformed woefully I’m wrestling power and meeting the demands of Nigerians.

He said the demand also became necessary going by the increase in the party internal crises, court cases, and defection of some PDP leaders at states and local government chapters has become worrisome, as the party continue to lose its relevance and strength as the day goes by.

Daboikiabo cited a situation where the PDP Niger State Chapter was being run for close to a year by a Caretaker Committee, which is against the party Constitution.

The Group added that the PDP Board of Trustees Chairman has also done nothing to call Secondus and his team to order in line with the Party constitution, rather, they have been frolicking around doing things alien to the Party’s Constitution.

“In consonance with our great party constitution as amended 2017, as party patriots, we have expressed our concerns, grievances, and demands via the avenues provided in form of petition and request letter to meet with some of our leaders, but all these channels had proved abortive,” he said.

Daboikiabo also alleged that their petitions and letters were ignored by the PDP leadership, bring to fore the call by the Group for those concerned to resign Immediately.

He said the league was concerned that the hope and believes in PDP as the party to rescue Nigerians is beginning to come under threat of extinction from the minds of Nigerians.

“If care is not taken now, the way things are going, we may remain as opposition party again at the center and more states for another eight years.

“In all, we at the bottom of the party’s ranking pyramid suffered the most whenever our great party loses elections.”

He said that the league members and Nigerians were tired of economic, insecurity, and other challenges in the country.

“It is expected of the PDP leaders to use the non-passage and signing of the Electoral Bill as well as other present challenges of the country to promote the party, rather the party leadership have failed to give Nigerians a people’s oriented strong opposition.

“They should lead one million man protest against the daily killings, hunger, increase in food price, insecurity, delay in the passage and signing of the Electoral Act,” he said.

Daboikiabo also called on the Secondus-led NWC to stand by the Niger state congress appeal panel reports and conduct a free and fair congress for the state on or before June 30.

“The party leadership should uphold the suspension of the former Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu.

“The party should commence work at the PDP National permanent secretariat.

“The party should pay the house allowance of the disengaged staffs as worked out by the then caretaker Committee Chairman, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, as approved by the NEC, to put an end to a court case over the matter.”

Daboikiabo called on the Senate and its Committee on INEC to reject the nomination of Lauretta Onochie as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

“Her nomination is inconsistent with any and every electoral law in Nigeria most especially; Section 153 subsection 3 and item F, paragraph 14(2)(c) of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

“The keyword and phrase are partisan and unquestionable integrity, respectively.”