Will PDP Crisis Consume Secondus?

BRIEFINGNOTES

After what appeared like a final resolution of the crisis besetting the Peoples Democratic Party with the governors and the Board of Trustees of the main opposition party abridging the tenure of Prince Uche Secondus as the National Chairman, the hawks still instigated his stepping aside based on court orders. Ejiofor Alike writes that unless Secondus speedily vacates these orders, he may permanently forfeit his seat, just like Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, whose controversial removal as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress was fuelled by his suspension from the party in his ward in Edo State, which was upheld by the courts.

Despite the resolution of the crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by its governors and Board of Trustees (BoT) members, who abridged the tenure of Prince Uche Secondus-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party and also prevailed on them not to seek re-election, the hawks within the main opposition party, apparently led by a certain ‘Father Christmas’ still went ahead to obtain court order to suspend Secondus.

Crisis had hit the main opposition party following the call by some stakeholders for the resignation of Secondus over what they described as poor leadership.

However, to save the party and particularly, Secondus, who appeared to have been targeted by his governor and main political backer, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, the 13 governors of the party, BoT members, former Senate Presidents, former governors, and other leaders had on August 10, 2021, brought the party’s National convention forward from December 2021 to October.

They also prevailed on the NWC not to seek re-election at the October National Convention of the party.

While the intervention of the leaders of the party seemed to have calmed frayed nerves, indications that the crisis was far from over emerged barely one week later when Wike insisted on a live TV programme that he wanted Secondus and his team out because they would not be capable of leading the party to victory in the 2023 general election.

It was a public knowledge that Wike was the main backer of Secondus when he contested for the position in December 2017.

At the peak of the campaign, Wike had insisted that Secondus, a former acting chairman of the party, was the best candidate to lead the PDP in view of his experience and track record.

In one of the statements issued by his Special Assistant on Electronic Media, the Rivers State governor had argued that the other candidates had no political presence in their respective states to drive the revival of the party, even though Prof. Tunde Adeniran, who also contested, was also from a PDP-governed state, Ekiti during the period.

But speaking on a live TV programme in Port Harcourt, a week after the recent intervention of the governors, Wike argued that Secondus and his team lacked the capacity to lead the party to victory in 2023.

“Leadership was the problem. The point is this, the current NWC, as it is today, cannot lead the party to victory. Nobody has said they have not done well, one way or the other, but we are talking about the challenges ahead.

“That is why we are pushing for the party to have other people to lead the party and to give it a different strength altogether. If you know APC, you know that you need a robust, determined leadership of the party (PDP) to make sure you match them word by word, action by action,” he reportedly said.

There were speculations that his onslaught against Secondus is to pave the way for his presidential ambition since the presidential or vice presidential candidate of the party and the party chairman cannot come from the same state.

But the governor had dismissed insinuation that he is nurturing a presidential ambition.

However, barely six days after his outburst, a Rivers State High Court, in an interim order dated August 23, 2021 and signed by Justice O. Gbasam and the Assistant Chief Registrar (Litigation), Patricia N. Victor Nwoka, restrained Secondus from parading himself as the PDP National Chairman.

The claimants/applicants are Ibeawuchi Ernest Alex, Dennis Nna Amadi, Emmanuel Stephen and Umezirike Onucha, while the defendants are Secondus and PDP.

In obedience to the Rivers State High Court order, Secondus abdicated his office and handed over to his deputy, Mr. Yemi Akinwonmi

Though Wike could not be linked directly to the court action, it has certainly thrown the reconciliation moves commenced by the expanded PDP BoT and the governors elected on the platform of the party into jeopardy.

As the crisis deepened, it became obvious that only a speedy vacation of the court order could save Secondus from receiving the Oshiomhole treatment.

Oshiomhole’s troubles began with his controversial suspension in November 2019, by the Etsako Ward 10 chapter of the party in Edo State, led by Mr. Stephen Oshawo, for alleged anti-party activities.

The controversial suspension was upheld by different courts and to an extent, contributed to the crisis that rocked the party before the final dissolution of the NWC at the party’s emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in June 2020.

For Secondus to survive the Oshiomhole’s treatment, he was expected to have quickly approach a superior court to quash the order or the same Rivers High Court to vacate its earlier decision.

But rather than approach the appropriate court, his supporters went to a Kebbi State High Court, which on Thursday, issued an interim order directing the suspended PDP chairman to resume office, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

Following the court order, the embattled Secondus, on Friday, returned to his desk.

However, few hours after respite came his way, another high court in Cross River State ordered the national chairman of the main opposition party to stop parading himself as the Chairman of the main opposition party

However, the multiple court orders from courts of coordinate jurisdiction have raised some questions: Since the conflicting orders were given by the courts of coordinate jurisdiction, which of the three orders is superior? Will the crisis consume Secondus?

Events of the next few weeks will provide answers to these posers.