Chibuzo Ukaibe , George Agba

There are indications that the internal leadership crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may have taken a deeper crisis dimension as some prominent members of the party are considering using all constitutional and security means to remove current members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

LEADERSHIP FRIDAY gathered that, at a special but secret meeting of the leaders held in Sokoto last weekend, party members from across the geopolitical divide collectively expressed anger over the continued stay in office of both the acting national chairman, Uche Secondus, and the acting chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT) of the party.

It was also gathered that the meeting, which had some former and present members of the PDP BoT in attendance, was convened to deliberate on the next line of action ahead of the BoT meeting scheduled to hold yesterday, January 14, 2016.

An impeccable source at the meeting told our correspondent that at the secret meeting headed by a former national chairman of the party, the PDP stalwarts resolved that the members of the NWC should be encouraged to resign individually if they truly love the PDP, especially in the light of the arrest of the party’s national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, over corruption charges.

The source, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said the members, however, agreed to provide details of the property the NWC members clandestinely acquired in Abuja, Lagos, Dubai and other cities, as well as bribes collected from PDP candidates to the EFCC and other security agencies with a view to getting them to forfeit the property to the federal government unless they could show evidence of work done to acquire such high profile property.

They regretted that some of the NWC members led the party to its first defeat at a general election in the country, adding that the conduct of the NWC members was contrary to all known values of democracy, which have brought disgrace to the party.

Our source further said the party stalwarts noted with dismay the current travails of the party in the hands of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government and agreed that it was due to the low quality leadership by the Secondus-led NWC.

He hinted that the party members accused the Secondus-led administration “of financial profligacy which was perpetrated through the criminal registration of the Umbrella Trust Ltd.

“The company, which has five members of the NWC as directors, was used to divert billions of Naira of the party’s funds,” he said, noting that they had secured details of the plundering of the party’s fortunes by the NWC members and would make them public at the appropriate time.

When contacted, the national legal adviser of the party, Barrister Victor Kwon, who described the plot by the party bigwigs as surprising and fantastic, however noted that he could react to mere speculations.

He said, “I cannot react to speculations. I am a lawyer, so, I don’t react to what is speculated. I need a lot more knowledge on the issue. Let me see the resolutions then we will know what to do.”

On the court case against Secondus to vacate office, he said: “the party has duly lodged an appeal against the decision of the High Court of the FCT as well as filing application for injunction pending appeal and stay of execution.

“These processes are within the rights of the party since the FCT High Court is not the ultimate court on the matter. Until the application is determined, it is not correct to say the party has no acting national chairman.”

The acting national chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, while speaking on the case instituted against him in court to vacate office, said yesterday that the party had appealed the ruling at the appellate court.
“Our constitution is very clear; in the absence of the chairman, the deputy takes over. That is what the constitution says,” he asserted.

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A source, our source, a highly placed source.