PDP: Secondus’ Two Years And The Task Ahead, By Samuel Ogidan

PDP: Secondus’ Two Years And The Task Ahead, By Samuel Ogidan

POLITICS DIGEST – There is no gainsaying that the National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus has learnt a lot in two years as the number one official of the party.

PDP was barely two years old as opposition party, after it dominated the nation’s political landscape for over 16 years, when Secondus took over the helm of affairs of the party in December, 2017.

Shortly after he was elected as the National Chairman of PDP and as a party administrator, Secondus put mechanism in place to reconcile aggrieved member, who left the party and those, who were also planning to leave.

The Rivers State born political administrator ensure that all the arsenal needed including advise to succeed in his assignment are given priority. To this end, he ensure that he fulfilled his promised made to the former National Chairman of PDP’s caretaker committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, who had urged him during the handing over ceremony to pursue reconciliation to the latter.

Secondus assured that reconciliation will be the first assignment of his tenure, adding that the process of reconciliation has already started. He also added that the gate of the party will also be thrown open for those who left the party for one reason or the other to come in.

Promising party faithful of reconciling, rebuilding and repositioning the party to wrestle power from the APC, Secondus emphasized that there is “no more imposition, no more impunity. Every member of this party as from this moment considers himself/ herself equal shareholder in our common destiny.”

True to his word, the party boss pursued reconciliation with vigor, visiting aggrieved members in their homes and also traveling from state to state to woo members back to the party. This exercise saw many of the PDP members returning to the party, with the promise to work with the Chairman.

Key prominent members like Atiku Abubakar, former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, former Speaker of the House of Representatives and Sokoto state governor, Aminu Tambuwal, former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso and a host of other governors and stakeholders were harvested back to the party.

In excitement, the PDP had described the return of Atiku as “another milestone recorded by the current leadership of our party in its quest to reconcile, rebuild and restructure the PDP ahead of the 2019 General Elections and beyond.

“We will continue to remain transparent and dedicated to the service of this party. Again, we want to use this opportunity to call on all our members that are still in the APC or other parties to return home.”

Secondus ensured that transparency, which is cardinal in achieving success as the Chairman of the party is restored to PDP, specifically in the area of party primaries.

Noting that lack of transparency had caused so much damage in the party, Secondus had on many occasions vowed that the era of impunity or imposition is over in the party as a rebranded PDP under his watch would ensure transparency and fairness for all.

This mentality was pronounced in the conduct of the Presidential primary. The success of the party’s primary silenced those expecting crisis from the PDP after the exercise. Before the primary, Secondus and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party invited all the presidential aspirants for a meeting, which many of them attended.

Present at the meeting were the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki; a former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar; a former governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang; Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, a former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa and a former Chairman of the PDP Caretaker Committee, Ahmed Makarfi.

Also in attendance were a former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso and a former Minister of Special Duties and Inter Governmental Relations, Alhaji Kabir Tanimu Turaki (SAN).

Secondus, it was gathered had told the aspirants at the meeting that the party would conduct a free, fair and credible primary. The party leadership, from all indications walk its talk, hence absence of litigation after the primary that saw the emergence of Atiku as the party flag bearer.

This strategy of ensuring transparency, emasculating imposition and kicking out impunity from the party paid off on the long run in PDP. Secondus’ action and that of the party’s NWC saw PDP, which was controlling 11 states in 2015 increased its tally to 15 in 2019.

Many, who thought PDP was already dead were disappointed when they saw the party increasing its tally and wrestling states from the APC, which was expected to make a clean sweep of the states, having been in power for four years, with the federal might at its disposal.

PDP won additional states to include Oyo, Zamfara, Imo and Adamawa, taking its total share of the states to 15.

But, unfortunately, the PDP was not able to win the presidential election and even the legal battle against President Muhammadu Buhari at the Appeal and Supreme Court.

It presidential candidate, Atiku, had put up a good fight at the judiciary but lost at the Supreme Court. Convinced of winning the presidential election, the former Vice President insisted that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) manipulated it in favour of President Buhari.

Atiku rejected the election and head to Court, but his presentation, including challenging the eligibility of President Buhari in the election, were, however, thrown out at the Supreme Court.

But, with all the moves to restructure the party and take it to an enviable position, the Kogi and Bayelsa states governorship elections was an acid test to the party Chairman. The party lost both states and this development shook PDP and its leadership. Not only has the party lost, but the hangover of the election and post effect still linger in PDP. This may had led to why some stakeholders, it was gathered were calling for the neck of the Chairman. Will Secondus survive the axe? Is a question for another day. The 2019 has come and gone and lessons have been learnt, which political watchers believe would be of immense benefit to the PDP Chairman and by extension the party.

Just barely six months into the four years of this administration, plans are already been put together ahead of 2023. Political watchers are already advising that the best option for PDP, is to produce its presidential candidate from the North, as APC would likely zoned its presidential position to the south. However, even though many Nigerians believe in PDP, it has more than three years to plan on how to sack the APC in the next election, but the earlier it put down concrete arrangements, the better as 2019 will be different from that of 2023.

Via: The Independent