The Deputy national officers of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have asked the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), governors’ forum and national caucus to prevail on the acting national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, spokesman of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh and the acting BoT chairman, Alhaji Bello Haliru Mohammed to vacate their seats.
Mohammed and Metuh are undergoing trial for their alleged role in the $2.1 billion arms scandal.
The national officers said that it became necessary for Mohammed and Metuh to vacate their offices on the ground that the charges against them were in their individual capacities and not on behalf of the party.
A statement yesterday by PDP deputy national publicity secretary, Barrister Abdullahi Jalo, deputy national youth leader Hon. Dennis Alonge-Niyi, deputy national legal adviser Barrister Bashir Maidugu and deputy national organising secretary, Mr Okey Nnaedozie, said the two officers must bear full responsibility for their actions and must henceforth refrain from dragging the name of the party into the mud.
The PDP chieftains said their demand for Mohammed and Metuh to quit was not a pronouncement of guilt but a passionate appeal to halt what they termed erroneous concept that the party tolerates corruption.
They called on the National Executive Committee (NEC) to convene a meeting immediately in order to formalise the appointment of a new spokesperson, in line with the party’s constitution “that is not weighed down by integrity issues.”
They also called on party members to disregard the scheduled national convention, which is supposed to be held in March, this year, according to the time table released by the party, saying there was no approval from NEC.
The officers also stressed the need to properly audit the finances of the party by certified external auditors as enshrined in the party’s constitution, adding that the audit period should be from March 24, 2012 to date.
The four deputy officers, who said they were speaking on behalf of other deputy national officers, also called for the dissolution of all committees set up by the present NWC, led by Prince Uche Secondus as acting national chairman, saying Secondus must also go back to his former position as national vice chairman. However, in his response, Secondus said “they are being used by the other party to destabilise us, but we are not going to be distracted, we are strong.
“I haven’t assumed the office of chairman; I am still the deputy chairman. I am only administering in acting capacity. They are not the authorised organ of the party. There is nothing like association of deputies.
“They took us to court and we have appealed. They are ignorant of the law. The constitution is clear that in the absence of chairman, the deputy assumes position. They are doing it out of malice and ignorance,” Secondus said.