Supreme Court verdict: PDP rejects Secondus’ protest plan

**As Only Three Governors Attend NEC Meeting

TRACKING>The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, rejected a proposal by its National Chairman, Uche Secondus, to protest on the streets of Abuja against the Supreme Court judgment that sacked Chief Emeka Ihedioha as Imo State governor.

Secondus made the suggestion at an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party in Abuja, saying the protest would further demonstrate to Nigerians that the party was seriously disturbed about what it called “the threat to democracy.”

But the NEC did not approve the protest at the meeting, which was attended by only three Governors comprising Bello Muhammad Matawalle, Ahmadu Umaru Fintri and Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Zamfara, Adamawa and Sokoto states, respectively. Ihedioha, whose ouster by the apex court necessitated the meeting, was also present.

Briefing journalists immediately after the meeting, National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, disclosed that the proposed protest was still being developed. He said a bigger issue was being planned although he did not specify the issue in question.

Meanwhile, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who attended the NEC meeting, has charged the leadership of the party to set up a committee to review its performance in the 2019 general election.

Atiku said: “Our government governed very well from 1999 up to 2015. As true democrats, we conceded power to the opposition hoping it will further entrench our democracy development and unity but alas Nigerians have been proved wrong by the governing APC. It has become necessary for us to mobilise Nigerians to resist the threat to our democracy, unity and development.”

On the need to review PDP’s performance in the last election, he said: “Therefore, I will like to propose a strong committee to review the last elections and recommend to the party needed reforms to address the challenges.

“But what cannot wait is that we should not take what has been happening in our democratic processes from the role of INEC, role security agencies and the judiciary for granted.

“If we take all these roles for granted, that will be the end of our hard earned struggle, including our founding members who are today not alive.”

Atiku said the struggles of the founding fathers of democracy in Nigeria must not be allowed to perish.

“What can we say we have done to their struggles as they lay in their graves? Therefore, as long as we are alive it is our responsibility to reincarnate the struggle they led that brought about the democracy today that the APC government is threatening,” he added.

On his part, Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jubrin said “the party has not fully recovered from what the judiciary has to do to the people of Nigeria not only PDP.”

“Nigeria is getting to an end if we continue with this exercise this way,” he warned.

But former Minister of Health, Prof. ABC Nwosu said the PDP needed to have a programmed opposition.

He added: “The legacy of PDP is not GSM; it is not G34. It is democracy. We are on the road to un-freedom, heading to tyranny.”

Other chieftains of the party in attendance were Senator Adolphus Wabara, Senator Ibrahim Mantu, Babangida Aliyu, Ibrahim Bunu, Senator Dino Melaye, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor and Chief Olisa Metuh.