Senator Dickson Defends PDP Chairman Secondus Against Forced Removal

Strategic Insights -

Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, former governor of Bayelsa state, has come to the defense of embattled PDP National Chairman Uche Secondus, urging him not to be deterred by a contrived plot to remove him from office. Dickson, who represents Bayelsa West in the National Assembly, released a statement on Monday criticizing the vote of no confidence passed against Secondus by some members of the PDP National Working Committee. According to Dickson, the purported vote was invalid due to a lack of quorum and a failure to follow party constitution.

Key Takeaways:

  • The vote of no confidence against Uche Secondus was passed by six members of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) out of 19, with 13 members not present at the meeting and the chairman absent.
  • Senator Dickson faulted the minority leader of the PDP House of Representatives Caucus, Honourable Ndudi Elumelu, was involved in the plot, not Honourable Kingsley Chinda.
  • The PDP Constitution requires the National Chairman to resign voluntarily, not through a forced removal.
  • A vote of no confidence does not remove the Chairman, and he can only be removed by the National Convention or on his own volition.
  • Dickson called on Secondus to utilize all options and powers available to him under the party constitution to prevent a forced removal and ensure the rule of law.
  • The crisis in the PDP is a contrived media frenzy orchestrated by a few individuals with a motive to hijack the party without subjecting themselves to a democratic vote.

Statistics:

  • 19 members of the PDP National Working Committee.
  • 6 members who signed the statement against Secondus.
  • 13 members who were not present at the meeting.
  • Less than 4 months until the next PDP national convention.

Sources:

  • Senator Henry Seriake Dickson's statement on Monday.
  • PDP Constitution.
  • PDP National Working Committee.
  • PDP House of Representatives Caucus.