PDP will be willing to merge with like minded political groups towards 2023 – Secondus

By Ihesiulo Grace 3 February 2020 1 No comment

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus at a media parley last Wednesday spoke extensively on the state of the nation, the relationship of PDP governors with the party, minority leadership crisis in the House of Representatives and other issues within the party. TUNDE OPALANA was there and reports.

What is the position of the PDP on the state of the nation?

As we can see and observe in the last four years of the current regime, we can see that issues of good governance has been a terrible challenge for this country.

What we have Experienced now is direct dictatorship by the APC government. The lack of good governance in our country is the cause of the insecurity, is the cause of the underdevelopment, is the cause of the suffering of the masses and the press cannot keep quite, neither will we and the other political parties keep quiet.

They may try to silence us but we will resist it. As a result, the economy has collapsed but the government is carrying on with their propaganda.

We Can see the judgement from the international community, the Transparency International has just endorsed that this country presently is more corrupt than ever and so where are we heading to.

This is a nation that is currently ruled by sentiment not by any other principle well known in good governance or well known in democratic countries and I will give you two simple examples or analogy if you like.

By 1960 the country was about in terms of population, 50 – 55 million and we had three major sea ports all functional to full capacity, working day and night.

In 2020, with a population of 200million people, we have only one sea port functional, so where are you going to create employment if the sea ports are not working.

By 1960 too, we had one refinery that serviced the entire nation, I mean these are elementary economics so that the ordinary man can understand. We had only one refinery and it serviced the entire country.

In 2020, we have three refineries and none is working. A country that produces oil now imports 100 percent refined products.

It is for us to share this ideas and begin to debate, it calls for elementary economics, it has nothing to do with huge policies or professorial policy position, because we have left those things we ought to have done undone and we are running from pillar to post as a nation.

And if the media don’t speak out and rely on the propaganda of the current government, more people are suffering, the unemployment rate has gone to the highest in the country, the insecurity is such that you can no longer travel by road from Abuja to Kaduna, that’s a typical example, even the train is now threatened.

So we are in total support of the Minority Leader’s position in the Senate that called for the President to resign because he has failed.

He is over whelmed with the security challenges and so the PDP backs the Minority Leader’s position that if we can’t secure lives and properties which is the first charge of any government, then with honour,

it is only in this black country, in the black world that people don’t like to take the right step, it is not humiliating for anyone to say, I have tried my best, I can no longer go forward let somebody else come and try.

We are not calling for government to collapse but if the President can no longer assure the population of Nigerians that they are safe. And a typical example and to crown it all is that people no longer have right to vote and be safe.

The woman in the Kogi election who came out, dressed up in the morning, a married woman with children went to the polling booth, voted, came back to the house and was attacked by the APC thugs and burnt alive, so who is sure to come out and vote anymore. Today that woman stands as a symbol of democracy even though she is late.

And so we want to plead with our brothers, the media, those who are here and those who are outside here, media executives, owners of media houses and electronic media, that unless they rise to the occasion and stand with the ordinary people, the country cannot move forward.

We also believe that it is time for the judiciary to wake up because it is the last hope of the ordinary man and the judiciary is the conscience of democracy.

Without a strong judiciary, democracy cannot stand. We believe that what has happened in the country is enough lesson for all of us to repent and render service to our people selflessly.

It is time to wake up because this is a fresh beginning, January 2020. It is time for us to speak out and speak out truth not propaganda.

You can deceive the people some of the time, it is a very common adage, but you cannot deceive the people all the time. You can carry on with your propaganda for long but one day, one day, the truth will come out.

We are not here to join issues, but we are burdened and pained by what is going on in our country today. Without electoral reforms and amendment of our electoral laws, we can’t move forward. Look at what happened in Kogi and Bayelsa, and other elections in 2019, it is a shame.

Ghana can conduct their elections without any violence and problems, Kenya the same, South Africa, other countries in Africa but Nigeria was a leading country in Africa, where are we today, what is our position.

Bans are being placed on our country, travel restrictions, we are bring treated anyhow, a giant of Africa is now ant of Africa. But we believe that if you all stand with us and speak the truth, we will come out of it, God will help us to come out of this problems.

We have observed that a lot of PDP stakeholders especially the governors have shown disloyalty publicly to the party, they seem to have no allegiance to the party and your administration also seem to have lost the capacity to call them to order. How do you react to this?

You see, democracy is fast deteriorating in our country because of the style of the Federal Government. As you can see, it is do or die, or winners take all, people are not patient, hunger in the land, insecurity, that may be what is contributing to what you are witnessing today, but our position is very clear.

Even in those states not controlled by PDP, you still know that we have critical stakeholders in those states who are firmly on the ground.

And you know also that in 2019 election, we won in those states that are not ours and that shows clearly that we are moving forward with democratic ideals and principles, but you never can tell.

There may be one or two places where we may have what you just described but we believe that it will come on and off until we arrive at the right destination not just for our party but for our nation also.

Where is the party going to zone 2023 presidential ticket.

Today we are more concerned with rebuilding our party. When the time Congress for the nomination of a Presidential candidate comes the party will come out with it’s position.

You know the Constitution allows everybody, whether you are from North, whether you are from South to contest. No one is going to Stop anyone from contesting even when it is zoned to a particular region and I am talking about in the past.

So every person still has a right to contest, so if you are qualified and desire to run for the office of the President you are free to contest.

Is your party considering a merger?

Why not, when the time comes, if there is need for people to pull their resources and pull their strength together, it can happen, it is possible. Our focus is in making sure that our party is strong and virile and ready to win election.

You party is divided especially in the House of Representatives where the issue of Minority Leader has divided members of your party. How do you intend to put your house in order as we approache 2023 elections?

I take your advice in good faith. I want to assure you that our distinguished senators are working hard to ensure unity in the Senate.

Yes, we have issues in the House of Representatives and we are working hard to resolve them. And we believe that any member of PDP not necessarily those in leadership is free to voice out what is going on in government and so that is why our people are working hard to reconcile those in the House of Representatives, but Senate is in order and the Senate is moving forward.

Your party spent 16 years in office and the only thing it could put in place regarding electoral reforms is the card reader. Many of us believe that if your party was honest enough and not benefiting from electoral fraud, there could have been a more solid reform which could make it difficult for individuals or groups or parties to rig elections?

If you recall when PDP came into power in 1999, I want you people to rewind a little bit because we must know where we are coming from and where we are now.

It took 16 years for us to carry out electoral reforms which gave us what we have and which was not implemented. First the laws were analogue.

Second, there have been several reforms within the 16 years and it became like rhetorics and you know part of it, part of our challenge was that the Constitution of our country must also conform with the desire of the change and reform which we proposed before we handed over in 2015.

It was the PDP that equipped the INEC with all the data and with all the machine and also the transmission of result sheets electronically, but when this government came, they discarded all the structures that was put in place even though the electoral law didn’t quite capture it because of the impediment of our constitution, because a major aspect was that we needed also to change a major aspect of our constitution as regards to the electoral reforms and this requires everybody.

When we called a few days ago for electoral reforms we are not calling only the APC, the call is also for the PDP, everybody in our nation, because we must move forward.

Now 16 years was not a joke. I suppose you should appreciate that PDP has done very well bringing us to where we are today and it is left for those in government now to quicken it.

All the structures are there, in fact the last amendment that was done in the 8th Assembly, but President Buhari refused to assent to that Bill to become law.

Elections results can be transmitted from the voting point to the centre. The President refused to sign it, so why are you putting the blame on PDP?

The 8th Assembly amended the electoral laws so you don’t put that blame on the door of PDP, put it squarely on the door of the APC government.

They are now in government for 5 years running, so put that on their door step. And we believe that if we don’t at all do the needful and reform, we cannot move forward as a nation, we can’t.

So we don’t want to join issues with APC, we don’t want to join issues with anybody, but what we want is electoral reform that will be good for everybody. People should have right to come and vote and not be liked and that is the right of all citizens.

A sitting governor of your party was publicly campaigning for a governor of another party in another state. Why could the party not call him to order?

Being a governor does not deprive an individual from airing his own individual view, am quite sure you understand that. He hasn’t come out openly to say ooh, this is PDP position.

If he has aired up his views in terms of Edo, I am quite sure that people can understand in a democratic world and free speech, people can have the right to do so, but that is not the position of PDP.

And it is time for our country to move from a situation of sentiments and emotions and all what not. We don’t listen to gossips, some may be correct, some may not be correct, but let’s drop this idea of rumour or not rumour and you link it to PDP, our position is very clear, we are going to contest for the election in Edo, we are asking for reform and that is the position of the national leadership of our party.

The PDP under your watch is being perceived as being weak in terms of discipline. Some time ago, governor of Rivers State accused his counterpart in Baylesa of anti-party activity insisting that you are aware and you did nothing. Again there is this view that whatever happens in Wadata was planned in Rivers State and that your leadership is tied to the apron string of Governor Nyesom Wike who tells you what to do. How do you respond to these issues, please?

First like the way I answered your friend that asked the question, anything that has to do with our governors and the altercation between the governments of Rivers State and Bayelsa State, I think we should just leave it, it has made headline news and we don’t want to go into it. I don’t think that is going to help to build a party.

Those who want to destroy would want to dig up emotions. So I believe that enough is enough. What we do behind the scene is not to the knowledge of the press and we are not ready to disclose that, because we have our strategies. You may think that is the weakness, but that’s the sign of strength.

The way you think may not be the way we think and I have been in this party long before Governor Wike became governor. I’ve been the chairman of River State for eight years, the National Organising Secretary for four years, Deputy National chairman and acting National Chairman, all that time where did I take the directive from when I was Acting Chairman.

Is it now that am full Chairman that I have to take the directives. That is rumour and blackmail and we’re not ready to pay any attention to such.

In politics, normally in Nigeria people gossip and then carry rumour from one place to the other which gets to Media Executives like you, but you rightly ask your question.

I don’t know where you’re coming from, you can go do your investigative journalism, whether any of the things you have said here is the truth and you also know the truth and the truth will prevail at the end of the day.

Gale of defection has heat Imo State and many of your members are decamping to APC. Are you not worried about these developments? What are you doing to do to stem the tide of that defection? And there was a time we had information that there is going to be right sizing of the workforce. I’m aware you set up a committee. Can give us details? Why has the party not taken position on the Elumelu issue?

I don’t know what to answer more than what I said before concerning the House of Reps. We are still in the process, you cannot force us to do what we don’t want to do.

In other words, all the processes must be completed. If you were in the last NEC, you were there when we also said that look the BoT committee or panel has submitted their report, Ikimi has also submitted their report and all of these will undergo a process and at the conclusion we will come out with our position.

And we don’t want to be carried into sentiment of what happened. Those who were there even members knew what happened. Elumelu himself was there when Chinda was elected.

Chinda was not just appointed, he was elected. But whatever happens has happened and bygone is bygone, we’re looking forward to reconciling, looking forward to making sure that we put this issue behind us. So it’s not an issue at all.

The other one has to do with staff. We will inform you when we are ready with our report. We believe that we need to rejig but in doing that, we must have human face, making sure that we do the right thing to strengthen our party even at the management level. That’s what we are doing.

The last one on defection, of courses it is a Nigerian syndrome. It is part of the deteriorating situation of governance given by the APC, starving the people and causing insecurity that is what we are experiencing today not only in Imo but in some other states too.

And our position has been properly articulated by the press conference of the National Publicity Secretary and that’s our position.

There is a view that the PDP under your leadership has been lethargic, it has not really played opposition roles. Beyond the issue of Press statements, it has not been able to mobilise Nigerians to internalise the failing of the ruling party. Have you made attempt to understudy the role of opposition parties in other climes and how they were able to topple the ruling party?

The PDP is the strongest opposition party in Nigeria. And you know, we don’t behave as if we’re on the street. We have men of high integrity in the leadership of the party.

We do our opposition constructively; it must not be out of place and it has to be within the laws of our land. We cannot be seen on the street carrying; maybe what is expected is that we become violent, no no. We are very constructive, we are very strong and if you are in government, you know the feelings.

Today alone, the Minority Leader, Senator Abaribe gave a bombshell. So it’s not by press conference or issuing of statements, and of course you know what happened last week.

The entire country was grounded to a halt, not only in Abuja but across the states. When occasions demands, we will let the people know. But our plans and our strategies are in place.

We are also aware of the other countries like Ghana, Kenya, even the United States has passed through what we are passing through in opposition and we’re doing better. It is those who are in government who are behaving like opposition, because they are used to being opposition.

So I believe that we will do everything within the laws of our land and we’re doing quite a lot, planning, strategic initiatives that are in place. We have the intellectual arm that is the PDI, people are working silently.

You are aware that in the last NEC meeting we also announced that we are establishing a committee to review and assess what happened in 2019.

All of these are towards putting our party in the right track walking towards 2023, if all the electoral laws would be amended to conform to modern day technology where even people can stay in the confines of their homes to vote and their votes will count, so all of that we are working towards.

Last week we called the National Assembly to quickly take their first front agenda and let them make it a priority, about the electoral laws, because all of these issues that are happening in our country today: insecurity bad economy, corruption has to do with those who are in government.

So that should be the first and foremost thing that the National Assembly in this New Year should do. They should amend all our electoral laws, bring everybody together so that the people will have the right to vote, not like that woman who voted and was burnt alive.

So, we will keep this going on until that woman becomes the symbol of democracy in Nigeria. So we are on the right track and we want to assure you that we can do it and we can do it better.

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