Secondus: I’m Not against Southern Presidency

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The embattled National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, has described as laughable and baseless the allegation that the party in Rivers State suspended him because he was against the resolution by the Southern governors that the next president of Nigeria must come from South.

The Rivers State PDP Chairman, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, said that Secondus moved against PDP interest and the interest of Southern governors for wanting to recontest for a second term in office as national chairman of the PDP.

Akawor had on Thursday said that by deciding to run for a second term in office, Secondus was prepared to rock the boat and work against the collective interest of the South.

He said: “The Southern governors took a decision that the presidency should come from the South as an individual or a politician he should have known that it is now time to come home.
“The position he is occupying is on behalf of the South, he didn’t go there as an Andoni man, he went there because the chairmanship of the party was zoned to the south.

“If Southern governors have taken a decision that they desire the presidency to come from the South, he should have known that there is no point trying to rock the boat by kicking and running for a second term in office,” Akawor said.

Akawor further said that Secondus had not paid his membership dues for six years.
But Secondus said he was reacting to the allegation because of the danger in allowing disinformation to enter public space unchallenged.

In a statement by Media Spokesman, Ike Abonyi, Secondus said that “One of such false information being dished out is the allegation from the Rivers State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ambassador Desmond Akawor that Prince Secondus is working against Southern interest and that he has not paid his dues to the party.

According to him, “We understand the frustration the anti-Secondus crusaders who have become evidence shopaholics are facing in their desperation to find points with which to use to achieve their ignoble goals.

“The media office sees their effort as a case of a bad marketer selling a product, who puts in several efforts to convince buyers to no avail.

“Our response is that there is no truth in all the allegations and Southern interest will be grossly endangered if it’s the likes of Ambassador Akawor and his clique that are pushing it,” Abonyi stated.

“Critical members of our party including discerning members of the public know as a fact that no one person no matter his position can determine singularly the position of offices in the party,” he added.

The media office said it would however continue to urge “members of the public and the media to be wary of compulsive shoppers whose agenda is mainly to distract and destroy PDP and remove its focus from returning to power in 2023 as being yearned by Nigerians.”