By Adawari Ake, for Ijaw PDP Youth Frontiers
Distinguished PDP Leaders,
Without doubt, the National Leadership of Our Great Party at the Party headquarters, Wadata Plaza, has done immeasurably well, given the challenges they have faced in sustaining an opposition party from the clutches of the fascist national ruling party that wants to monopolize power all in an attempt to reconstruct society to the stone age. We applaud the various strata of PDP leadership, that have pushed back the devilish design of the ruling bandits and thus, positioned the PDP as the Party of obvious rational choice, and the most democratic and liberal political platform in Africa.
In the light of the above, it is our considered opinion that the PDP is still a work in progress and what has brought us thus far and sustained us to this present time since 1998, may not be enough or is inadequate to take us to our destination in 2023. The current National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP, led by Prince Uche Secondus, is complicit and is neither capable nor prepared in all ramifications to lead the Party through the rigorous and treachery path to Aso Rock in 2023.
Prince Uche Secondus’s major agenda at the moment is to secure his second term in office as national chairman of the party in 2021. His desire to perpetuate himself in office is the reason for the problems the party is experiencing in some states of the federation. The national chairman is using his influence in the party to take control of structures in the states through his cronies.
Prince Secondus has destroyed the institutional base of the party, by contracting the organizational functions of the PDP to shadowy Consultants that are alien and unknown to the Constitution and customs of the party. Some of these actions by the national chairman are meant to evade accountability to party organs and external auditors. A case of worry is his frequent clash with the staff of the party at the National Headquarters whose functions are outsourced to Prince Secondus’s consultants.
Some of the staff of the party predate his election as national chairman, and remained the institutional memory of the PDP since the national officers are elected representatives whose tenure elapses every four years. It is of note that the party’s workforce showed exceptional loyalty to the party in the face of the unsuccessful capture of the party by renegades between 2016-2017.
Is it not ironic that the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, has no agenda to grow the party’s membership? Mr. Secondus is not concerned about expanding the party or making it attractive to Nigerians. For the PDP to win back power, the party needs to bring in a minimum of five million new voters into its fold. It is unfortunate that the party is still in its old ways of hoarding membership and resisting technology in registering new members.
Prince Secondus must understand that in the twenty-first century, there is a changing role for political parties, unfortunately, he does not have the skills or open to advice to adapt to the new realities. He must understand or be made to understand that political parties no longer provide a home for the politically engaged to contest elections; rather, social movements and promotional groups possesses greater appeal for younger generations and this is where the extra five million votes to win the 2023 elections would come from.
Prince Secondus must also understand that successful political parties must integrate its traditional functions with the new reality of attracting a new generation of voters that do not necessarily want a platform to contest, but want a platform for issues of their concern to be acted upon as policy alternatives. In the last three years, Prince Secondus has no plan and has not shown to party members and supporters the capacity to transit the PDP into the next era.
The party’s membership registration process must be driven by technology in order to open the space for the younger generation and stop the monopoly of party registration by interests loyal to Prince Secondus and his cronies.
Distinguished Party Leaders, please consider the renewed vigor in our youths to participate in the way our country is being governed as seen in the recent #EndSARS movement in Nigeria.
We believe in the future of our party and the kind of leadership necessary to take the party to the people. We are convinced that Prince Secondus is limited in capacity and has no good intentions for the PDP as we prepare for 2023. Prince Secondus is enmeshed in historical quest for material which is occasioned by greed and flamboyant lifestyles that cannot be sustained by an opposition party. Prince Secondus is a clear danger to the People’s Democratic Party.