PDP crisis worsens as 3 chairmen emerge

 

L-R: Prince Uche Secondus | Prof Adeale Oladipo | Barr Ahmed Gulak

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) escalated yesterday, with three different people claiming leadership of the party.
Those in the contention are, acting national chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, one-time special adviser to former president Goodluck Jonathan, Barr Ahmed Gulak, and the party’s national secretary, Prof. Adewale Oladipo.

The PDP Governors’ Forum had Wednesday night asked the embattled Secondus to handover the leadership of the party to Prof. Oladipo. 
The directive came few hours after Gulak had addressed a press conference at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, where he proclaimed himself as the substantive national chairman.

‎The governors said Secondus should return to his former position of deputy national chairman, while Oladipo should be in charge of the party affairs and the national secretariat.
The governors’ action showed that they did not recognize Ahmed Gulak as the chairman of the party.
  The PDP forum, through its chairman, Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, who read the communique at the end of its meeting held Wednesday night in Abuja, flayed Secondus for not respecting the judgment of an Abuja High Court, which had in December 2015, ordered him to vacate office for any other person from the North-east zone. 

“We take cognizance of the judgment by the court in Abuja which ordered the acting chairman to vacate office for any other person from the North-east zone of Nigeria.
“Our party constitution has enough provisions for that and the necessary process has been put in motion,” the governors said.
“In recognizance of  the judgment the court gave, we call on the national secretary to take over the leadership of the party immediately, and that is in line with the provisions of the PDP constitution,” the governors also said.

The governors also flayed Gulak who announced himself as chairman without recourse to the party’s relevant organs.
“The invasion of the party headquarters by Ahmed Ali Gulak who reportedly assumed the chairmanship of the PDP is regrettable and condemnable,” the governors said.
They added that the issue of the chairmanship of the party would be resolved very soon, to enable someone from the North-east complete the tenure of Alhaji Adamu Muazu, who resigned on May 20, 2015, after the party’s failure to win the presidential election in March.

However, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party yesterday countered the directive given by the PDP governors, saying there was no change in leadership of the party.
National legal adviser of the party, Victor Kwon, in a statement said Secondus remains in charge.
According to him, the NWC, National Caucus, Board of Trustees (BoT) and the National Executive Committee (NEC) would meet next week to deliberate on some developments including the replacement  of Mu’azu.

“The replacement will be in strict adherence to the provisions of the constitution of our great party as specified in Section 47(6). Until then, the status quo remains, which means the deputy national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, remains as the acting national chairman.

“Furthermore, it must be reiterated that all relevant stakeholders of our party, including the PDP Governor’s Forum, National Caucus and the Board of Trustees (BoT) as well as our leadership structures at all levels are united behind the current National Working Committee in the efforts to rebuild, reposition and strengthen our party for the challenges ahead.” he said.

On his part, Gulak said the PDP governors must have  been misled to issue the statement to the effect that the national secretary should take over the leadership of the party.
According to him, the national secretary is precluded by the PDP Constitution from chairing the NEC, NWC and the caucuses of the party.