Your ‘brief tenure’ is up, new PDP boss Secondus tells APC

The newly sworn-in National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr Uche Secondus, seems to have hit the ground running.

His first speech as chairman of the party was to throw a shade at the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), telling it that its “brief tenancy” in Aso Villa has run out.

“Let me assure you great members and leaders of our party, that by the grace of God and with all hands on deck, the brief tenancy of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Aso Rock Villa expires on May 28, 2019. By this, we serve them a quit notice”, he boasted.

Secondus vowed that the PDP would return to power, as according to him, the APC does not have a clear cut plan for governance, but merely put together to seize power.

He said, “In the words of the 34th President of the United States of America Dwight Eisenhower, ‘If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power’.
“Judging from this, it is crystal clear to all Nigerians, that APC is not a political party, but a body hurriedly assembled to seize power without a clear-cut plan for governance.”

Read also: Secondus emerges PDP national chairman amid allegations of rigging

On its part, the PDP, Secondus said is founded on ideals that are “totally in tandem” with those of the nation’s founding fathers.

“Those founding fathers had in mind, a prosperous and lasting democracy as captured in the preamble of our constitution, clearly stating their desire for a free and egalitarian society.

“Even in our perceived failure of 2015, we chose to abide by our strong faith in democracy, willingly conceding power to opposition, thereby elevating the democratic status of Nigeria. We are true democrats.”

He also said that he remains proud of the PDP’s performance in the 16years it rules Nigeria, and promised to lead the party back into power.

“I can, therefore, say without an iota of doubt that PDP’s contributions to the growth and sustenance of democracy in this country in the last 18 years remain unequalled.

“With your mandate, I assure you that all necessary steps will be taken to avoid a repeat of our past mistakes. Indeed, we have learnt our lessons and by this convention, we are now set to forge a new path for our great party and Nigeria.

“Under my watch, internal democracy will be strictly adhered to with a deliberate policy to return ‘real’ power to the people. No more imposition, no more impunity. Every member of this party can from this moment consider him or herself an equal shareholder in our common destiny.”

The new PDP chairman paid tribute to one of the founding fathers of the party, former Vice President Dr Alex Ekwueme who died on November 19 at a London hospital at the age of 85.

While also welcoming former Vice President Atiku Abubakar back to the PDP, Secondus praises his opponents in the competition, especially Prof Tunde Adeniran and Chief Raymond Dokpesi, describing them as eminently qualified to lead the party for the role and thanking them for a “worthy contest”.

“You have every cause to stand tall and I now extend my hand of fellowship to you all. Let ‘Us’ rebuild, reposition and regain,” he said.

 

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