From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Four of the six national vice chairmen of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have advised the national chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, to resign.
They reached the resolution during an emergency meeting held by the national vice chairmen of the party in Abuja on Sunday.
The decision was made known to journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, by the National Vice Chairman of PDP in the South West, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, through a statement issued by his media aide, Bamitale Ibrahim, on Monday.
According to him, the national vice chairmen held the emergency meeting to review the situation of the party with a view to averting further crisis on PDP.
Arapaja said the national vice chairmen of the party also urged stakeholders to remain steadfast because PDP as a party, remains the hope of Nigerians as the 2023 general elections are fast approaching.
Speaking further on the resolutions reached during the meeting, the former Nigerian Ambassador to Jordan and ex-deputy governor of Oyo State, said: ‘We resolved that the National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, should resign and save the party from further disintegration being witnessed presently in the party.’
According to him, the call to Secondus to resign was also hinged on the resignation of some members of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party as a result of the ‘inert leadership’ of Secondus, as well as the defection of some governors on the PDP platform to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that he described as ‘the failed ruling party’. Seven members of PDP NEC had resigned last week, though two among them later withdrew their resignation letters.
The national vice chairmen also resolved that all party stakeholders and party faithful should remain calm and resolute to the party as the party is the only hope of all Nigerians.
The emergency meeting, according to Arapaja, was attended by the national vice chairmen of PDP, Chief Dan Osi (South East), Chief Ali Odefa (South-South), Dankas Shau (North Central) and Taofeek Arapaja (South West). They jointly signed the resolutions.