By: Felix Ikpotor
The plot to finally oust Prince Uche Secondus as the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is still gathering momentum especially here in Rivers State as his kinsmen have declared their support for the state governor, Nyesom Wike and also endorsed his suspension from the party.
This even as leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Andoni Local Government Area in Rivers State, home LGA of Secondus, paid a solidarity visit to the state chairman of the party, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, to register their loyalty to the party and declare their support for the suspension of their kinsman and national chairman the party, Prince Uche Secondus.
The Andoni PDP chieftains also supported the move by the Rivers State leadership of the PDP to suspend Secondus all together from the party.
However, former Rivers State Deputy Governor and cousin to Secondus, Engr. Tele Ikuru, was conspicuously missing during the visit.
It is not clear why the former deputy governor opted out of the solidarity visit, but social commentators have identified his close ties with Secondus as a possible reason.
Both Ikuru and Secondus are cousins from Ikuru Town in Andoni, and Secondus is said to be a major pillar behind his political triumphs.
Speaking on behalf of the leaders, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Ikunyi Owaji Ibani, said Andoni people will continue to support the leadership of the state to ensure there is success at all levels in the party and the state, adding that the unity of the LGA and the party is sacrosanct.
He said they decided to visit the party chairman to express their unflinching support for Governor Nyesom Wike and to stand by whatever decision the PDP in the state takes on the Secondus matter.
He said, “As Andoni people, we know the tradition. Our interest is the interest of the party and the leader of the party in the state, His Excellency, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike.
“As a people, we have come to show our support to the party and the state. We are good politicians and we know what it means to be members of a political party. As Andoni people, we are here to show our support to the party and the state and we will continue to pledge our unalloyed support to the party and the state. We also assure the party, that right from the beginning, Andoni has always delivered massive votes for the party, and will continue to do that,” he reiterated.
“We have been hearing, we have been seeing, we know that our own father, our own son is the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party. We know that that position came to Andoni because it was zoned to the state as at the period, and that was the interest of the state as at that time. And if the interest, the cooperate interest of the state has changed, as Andoni people, we still believe that as a sub system that joined other sub systems to join the cooperate interest of the state, the absolute interest the state has is over and above other sub interest, which is the main issue that we have laid out as it concerns this solidarity visit. We are to say any decision taken by the party in the state, in conjunction with the leadership of the party, as Andoni PDP, we stand by that decision, and that is why we are here today. Because in this state, PDP has always been one and as Andoni people, we don’t want to be left behind”.
Responding, the State Chairman, Desmond Akawor, thanked the Andoni stakeholders for their demonstration of absolute loyalty to the party at a time like this, stressing that such display of commitment is worthy of emulation by other LGAs in the state.
Party chieftains present at the solidarity visit were: the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adango; Head of Service, Barr. Rufus Godwins; Chief Ibiamu Davis Ikanya; the State PDP Organising Secretary, Engr. Ofiks Kagbang; the State Ex-officio, Mrs Alom Mba; the former state deputy chairman of PDP, Hon. Charles Awortu, the LGA Party Chairman, Hon. Titus Jones; the Council Chairman, Barr. Erastus Awortu; the Vice Chairman, Mrs Tema Christopher; the National Women Leader of GDI Mrs Patience Ibiamu, and others.
