PDP Govs, Secondus Reach Truce , Convention May be Brought Forward To October

After meeting for over 40 minutes behind closed doors on Monday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors and the embattled National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, appeared to have reached a new deal as part of efforts to resolve the crisis which engulfed its leadership and ensure lasting peace in the main opposition party. The deal involved consideration of an early date for the party’s national convention, as against the initial date of December 9.

With the new deal, widely believed to be in the overall interest of the party, we gathered that the December convention might be brought forward to either October or November.

However, Secondus, in an earlier statement from his media office, said he would not succumb to pressure to resign. “I can confirm to you that I will not resign,” he was quoted as saying. He added that he remained focused in his determination to move the party forward.

Meanwhile, the Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, and his House of Representatives counterpart, Ndudi Elumelu, yesterday, supported the move by the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) to resolve the crisis in the party. Abaribe and Elumelu denied reports that PDP members in the House had passed a resolution that Secondus should resign. The clarification was in reaction to a statement by a House of Representatives member from Rivers State, Kingsley Chinda, asking the party chairman to resign.

On his part, a former governor of Bayelsa State and member of the upper chamber, Senator Seriake Dickson, faulted calls for Secondus to resign, saying only the national convention is empowered to remove him.