PDP crisis: Secondus knows fate on Monday

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Barring any hitch, the leadership of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will on Monday hold a crucial meeting with Governors elected on the platform of the party, to decide the fate of the national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus.

Forces believed to be spearheaded by the Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, have been championing the removal from office of the chairman whose tenure expires in December.

Those calling for the ouster of the chairman have expressed preference for the setting up of a caretaker committee to replace the Secondus-led National Working Committee (NWC).

A previous meeting of the BoT held on Thursday at the Abuja national secretariat of the PDP failed to reach a consensus on the tenure of the embattled national chairman.

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It was gathered the meeting was divided down the middle between those that wanted the chairman to complete his tenure and those rooting for a caretaker committee, a development that forced the party leaders to opt for further consultations on the matter.

A highly placed member of the BoT, who spoke with The Nation on Friday, said the party leaders were set for the meeting and that they were only waiting for the governors.

The source, who did not want his name in print, said: “We in the BoT are meeting with the PDP Governors on Monday for further consultation over the tenure of the national chairman.

“We are ready for the meeting, just that we are waiting for signal from Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State who is the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum”.

Stressing the needs for further consultations on the festering leadership crisis in the party, the source confirmed that last Thursday’s meeting of the BoT failed to take a definite position on the tenure of the chairman.

Speaking further, the source said: “We could not resolve the matter because some members at the meeting wanted the chairman to complete his tenure while others wanted him to be replaced with an ad hoc committee that will handle the processes leading to our national convention coming up in December.

“For now, I may not be able to tell you in which direction the pendulum will swing until after our meeting with the governors. Nobody can predict the outcome until the meeting is over”.

The crisis rocking the main opposition party was triggered by the scramble and scheming for positions ahead of the 2023 elections.

Wike, who is believed to be eyeing a slot in the 2023 presidential joint ticket of the PDP, would not want to see Secondus retaining his seat as chairman.

That may jeopardise the ambition of the Rivers governor as the PDP cannot cede the chairmanship and the presidential/vice presidential slots to the South-South zone where the two political gladiators hailed from.

It was further gathered at the weekend that Secondus had been scheming for a second term as chairman apparently with the benefit of insider knowledge that the PDP will zone its 2023 presidential ticket to the North.

Although the leadership of the party has continued to prevaricate over its position on the zoning of its 2023 presidential ticket, the body language of its key gladiators indicates that the party may opt for a candidate from the North.

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