The Prince Uche Secondus Campaign Organisation for the office of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed insinuations in some quarters that the candidate was the lackey and crony of influential members of the party.
A statement by Taiye Garrick, for the Secondus Campaign Organisation, and made available to The Tide, last Friday, indicated that the candidate was only running because he believed that he was the most credible and competent party member to occupy the position of national chairman at this critical time in the history of the PDP.
The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to news reports alleging clandestine moves by some powerful forces to impose Prince Uche Secondus as the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party.
“We want to categorically declare that there is no iota of truth in those reports. Our candidacy depends on endorsement and votes of delegates at the forthcoming national convention.
“We want Nigerians and members of the party to note that the position of national chairman was zoned to the Southern region comprising of three zones. Secondus has every legitimate and legal right to aspire for the office of national chairman.
“We also want to put on record that since launching his ambition, Secondus has been reaching out to delegates across the 36 States, seeking their votes and presenting his agenda for revival of the party ahead of 2019.
“Throughout this period, no member of the Board of Trustees has openly endorsed him as some have done for some other aspirants. We repeat that nobody is imposing anybody. There is no plot to impose Secondus on the PDP.
“Just recently, some members of the Board of Trustees openly endorsed some aspirants. The Secondus Campaign Organisation did not raise any eyebrow. Rather than waiting for any group endorsements, we have been campaigning day and night across the six zones, selling our redemption messages to PDP delegates.
“We urge all aspirants to get ready for the National Convention and stop game of distractions. The delegates assembled will cast their votes for an aspirant of their choice in the full glare of the public. Nobody can impose any aspirant in a free and fair contest.
“We also want to affirm that Secondus remains the most qualified for the chairmanship going by his antecedents before and after the crisis that nearly killed the party. He is bold and dutiful alongside with his great blueprint to return the PDP to power in 2019.
“The forthcoming convention is our great opportunity to complete the redemption started at the Port Harcourt mini-convention. We must elect real committed party members into the upcoming National Working Committee.
“In this clarion call, we urge delegates to support Secondus, the man of undiluted loyalty, unflinching determination for PDP revival, and unparallel qualification for PDP leadership,” Garrick added in the statement.
Meanwhile, indications emerged at the weekend that political calculations by key players in the PDP show that the former Deputy National chairman, Prince Uche Secondus is most favoured to clinch the revered position at the national convention of the party.
The permutations have the former Minister of Education, Prof Tunde Adeniran, emerging second on the favourable score pyramid.
The Tide gathered that the attraction to the two contestants lies in the general perception that they appear “supple and flexible” and are likely to be adaptable to complex political situations to enable them work the party through victory at all times.
Investigations reveal that Secondus has the strong backing of the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, who is the leader of the party in his home-state, as well as those of the governors of the South-South and South-East states, which are expected to produce the highest number of delegates for the December 9 national convention.
Besides, Secondus is said to be seriously favoured by a large number of PDP delegates from the North and a fraction of loyalists from the South-West, who see him as an indefatigable power-house, with the resource base to stabilise the party and pilot its affairs to all-round victory in the 2019 general elections.
However, although Adeniran hails from the South-West where PDP is heavily fragmented, he definitely may have sizable support of a number of elders and delegates from the zone.
He also seems to have some support, particularly from a section of the North, where a former information minister, Prof Jerry Gana, is his arrow-head and mobilising contacts and outreaches, particularly in Gombe and Taraba states, which are under the control of the PDP.
With the balance of power tilting towards Secondus, it remains to be seen what delegates would do with their votes on December 9 in Abuja when PDP decides who calls the shots at the Wadada House as the race for 2019 accelerates.

By: Nelson Chukwudi.