POLITICS

PDP crisis: How Secondus, Wike clashed at BoT meeting

Uche Secondus and Nyesom Wike

More facts emerged on Friday about how the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Prince Uche Secondus, and the Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, clashed at the party’s Board of Trustees meeting held on Thursday in Abuja.

The meeting was summoned by the BoT to find an amicable solution to the crisis rocking the party as a result of Wike’s antagonism to Secondus as the PDP’s national chairman.

The crisis rocking the opposition deepens as political bigwigs in the party jostle for shares of its structure ahead of the 2023 polls.

Secondus was battling to retain his chairmanship position as Wike spearheaded moves to ensure his removal before the party’s national convention.

Secondus’ opponents were said to have anticipated that he would install his loyalists as members of the convention committee, thus paving the way for his re-election.

It was also alleged that Tuesday’s resignation of seven members of the PDP National Executive Council was part of the moves to oust Secondus and set up a caretaker committee, which would organise the next national convention.

The seven national officers of the party who resigned included the Deputy National Financial Secretary, the Deputy Legal Adviser, the Deputy National Auditor, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary, the Deputy Women Leader and the Deputy Organising Secretary.

However, the PDP BoT members, at a meeting on Thursday presided over by its Chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin, insisted that Secondus should be allowed to complete his tenure, which would soon end.

The board members, according to sources, faulted what they termed as uncomplimentary remarks by some party leaders, including Wike, against the National Working Committee, while condemning the way the NWC handled crises in some state chapters of the party.

Incidentally, both the Rivers governor and the PDP national chairman are from the same state.

Wike was also a major backer of Secondus when he was elected as the party’s national chairman less than four years ago.

Leave a Comment