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Secondus tears PDP apart, as another exco member threatens to dump party

August 4, 2021 No Comments

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Youth leader, Udeh Okoye, has threatened to dump the party if the National Chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, fails to resign from his position.

In a statement he issued on Tuesday, Okoye accused Secondus of lacking the capacity to take the party to the next level, describing him as a weak and incompetent leader.

“He (Secondus) is not willing to take us anywhere, he is just there to make sure he enriches himself. I am here to make it very clear to all Nigerians that if Secondus does not resign, i am going to leave the party and resign for him to eat the party and own the party.

“The governors, if they don’t wade into this matter right now, if the leaders don’t wade into this matter right now, I assure every Nigerian that within the next 3, 4 days, my letter will be public,” Okoye said.

The PDP youth leader’s threat came shortly after seven members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP resigned after calling for the removal of Secondus.

The seven officers who resigned includedthe Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Deputy National Financial Secretary, Deputy Women Leader, Deputy National Auditor, Deputy National Organising Secretary and the Deputy Legal Adviser.

The aggrieved PDP executives had variously complained about the inept leadership of Secondus, asking him to immediately relinquish his position as the party’s national chairman.

Politics

Two APC House of Assembly members defect to PDP in Bauchi

March 4, 2021 No Comments

Two All Progressives Congress (APC) members of the Bauchi State House of Assembly have defected to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

The members are Hon. Yusuf Muhammad Bako, representing Pali Constituency from Alkaleri LGA, and Hon. Umar Yakubu, representing Udubo Constituency.

This disclosure was made by the Spokesperson for the Speaker of the Assembly, Abdul Burra, after the plenary held late Wednesday and made available to journalists.

According to Burra, Yakubu and Bako made their intentions known in a letter dated March 2, 2021.

He said, “Yakubu’s decision to quit APC was based on the issues arising in the party at both state and national levels.

“He pledged his continued commitment toward salvaging the plight of the citizen and contribute to the developmental goals of the present administration in Bauchi State.

“Bako said his defection came after series of consultations with his constituents in which they decided that he should join political forces with PDP to ensure the success of the present administration considering the developments being brought to the state.

“According to him, there is need for him to have a clear political direction in line with the demands of his people hence the reason of his movement to PDP.”

With the development, the PDP now has 11 members in the state assembly while the APC has 19.

Politics

‘Dogara’s name not in our register. He is not a member,’ APC denies ex-speaker in court

January 19, 2021 No Comments

The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday told the Federal High Court, Abuja, that the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, is not in its membership register and has therefore not defected to the party.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had approached the court to declare Dogara’s seat in the lower legislative chamber vacant following his defection to the APC in July last year.

PDP claimed the ex-speaker illegally defected to the ruling party after he was re-elected on its platform.

The suit was filed by PDP and its chairman in Bauchi State, Hamza Koshe Akuyam.

The Head of APC Legal Department, Dare Oketade, who filed a counter-affidavit on behalf of the party, dismissed the claim by the PDP that Dogara has defected to the ruling party.

The official said he had gone through the APC membership register and did not find Dogara’s name in the register.

Oketade said: “In fact the 5th defendant (the APC) has not received an application for membership from the 1st defendant (Dogara) or any other person acting under the instruction of the 1st defendant; neither the 5th defendant has issued any membership card to the 1st defendant.

“Recording the name of the 1st defendant as member of the 5th defendant in the membership register of the 5th defendant and the subsequent issuance of APC’s membership card to the 1st defendant confers the 1st defendant the membership of the 5th defendant.”

He said the PDP suit was speculative and instituted in bad faith and urged the court to dismiss the application in the interest of justice.