By Uche Amunike
More crisis looms in the camp of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, as Deputy National Chairman,(South), Elder Yemi Akinwomi, Tuesday, announced that the scheduled National Working Committee, NWC, meeting of the party has been suspended indefinitely.
In a statement signed by him, he explained that the immediate suspension came up as a result of the restraining order by a Harcourt Court against the National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus.
He said that the section 45(2) of the PDP constitution stated that the Deputy National Chairman(South), Elder Akinwomi has to take over the responsibility of being in charge of party activities and issuing of directives.
The statement explains that constitutionally, the Deputy National Chairman is obligated to take over the running of the party in the absence of the National Chairman.
It explained further that Elder Akinwomi who has been suffering from a protracted ailment, but in recuperation, had to sign his public announcement with a thumbprint which was publicly videoed.
He said because a court order restraining the embattled National Chairman, Secondus from summoning and presiding over the deliberations of the organs of the party, as the Deputy National Chairman, (South) of the PDP, he had no choice than to carry out due consultations over the matter.
This, he said led to him exercising his aforementioned powers as deputy, especially in the present circumstance to rightly postpone the meeting of the National Working Committee, NWC, earlier scheduled to hold same day to be put on hold indefinitely, so he could have further consultations in the overall interest of the party.
Some members of the National Working Committee, however went against Akinwomi’s directives.
The Deputy National Chairman,(North), Suleiman Nazif, held a meeting and scheduled an emergency National Executive Committee meeting to be held on Friday.
Meanwhile former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, in reaction to the restraining order stopping Secondus from parading himself as the National Chairman of the party, has said that the court ruling will not solve the problem of leadership crisis in the party, describing it as a meltdown.
Recall that the leadership tussle rocking the boat of the party took a new turn when seven party National Executive members condemned the leadership style of Uche Secondus attributing it to the reason for the massive defection of members and governors to the All Progressives Congress, APC, in recent times which has led to Party governors playing against each other, citing the efforts of Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike to ensure that the chairman, Secondus is dismissed, even as some other stakeholders expressed different views.
Uche Secondus, even though he currently swims in troubled waters, has maintained that he has done no wrong to anyone and has vowed that he will not, under any circumstance, tender his resignation from his position as National Party Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party.
He has also said that he had no fear of the court injunction vowing that he would defend himself if the court summoned him.
