A support group of the Peoples Democratic Party has called for the resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, and the Chairman of its Board of Trustees Chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin.
The group, under the aegis of the Concerned PDP League, at a press conference addressed by its leader, Warmate Daboikiabo, in Abuja on Wednesday, also demanded for the resignation of all members of the PDP National Working Committee.
Daboikiabo said the league was constrained to make the resignation demand due to the failure of the PDP national leaders to provide the desired proactive, active and strong opposition party yearning by patriotic party members and Nigerians to rescue the country.
He said the demand also became necessary going by the increase in the party’s internal crises, court cases and defection of some PDP leaders at states and local governments chapters.
He cited a situation where the Niger State chapter was being run almost a year by a caretaker committee as alien to the party constitution.
Daboikiabo added that the PDP Board of Trustees chairman has also done nothing to call Secondus and his team to order in line with the party’s constitution
“In consonance with our great party constitution as amended 2017, as party patriots, we have expressed our concerns, grievances and demands via the avenues provided in form of petition and request letter to meet with some of our leaders, but all these channels had proved abortive,” he said.
Daboikiabo also alleged that their petitions and letters were ignored by the PDP leadership.
He said the League was concerned that the hope and believe in PDP as the party to rescue Nigerians was beginning to be under threat of extinction from the minds of Nigerians.
He said: “If care is not taken now, the way things are going, we may remain as opposition party again at the centre and more states for another eight years.
“In all, we at the bottom of the party’s ranking pyramid, suffered the most whenever our great party loses elections.”
He said the League members and Nigerians were tired of economic, insecurity and other challenges in the country.
He said it was expected of the PDP leaders to use the non-passage and signing of the Electoral Bill as well as other present challenges of the country to promote the party.
Daboikiabo said going by the aforementioned, the League also demand that the party leadership should give Nigerians a people-oriented strong opposition.
“They should lead one million man protest against the daily killings, hunger, increase in food price, insecurity, delay in the passage and signing of the Electoral Act,” he said.
Daboikiabo also called on the Secondus-led NWC to stand by the Niger State congress appeal panel reports and conduct a free and fair congress for the state on or before June 30.
He said: “The party leadership should uphold the suspension of the former Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu.
“The party should commence work at the PDP national permanent secretariat.
“The party should pay the house allowance of the disengaged staff as worked out by the then caretaker Committee Chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, as approved by the NEC, to put an end to court case over the matter.”
Daboikiabo also called on the Senate and its committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission to reject the nomination of Lauretta Onochie as a National Commissioner of the INEC.
He said: “Her nomination is inconsistent with any and every electoral law in Nigeria, most especially Section 153 subsection 3 and item F, paragraph 14(2)(c) of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
“The key word and phrase are partisan and unquestionable integrity respectively.”