PDP chair: Makarfi, Wike didn’t draft me into race – Secondus

By Saminu Ibrahim

Abuja

Former Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and one of the chairmanship aspirants of the party has said neither chairman of the National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi nor Rivers State Governor, Nyesome Wike, drafted him to join the race for the party chairmanship.
He also denied insinuations that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party squandered N11billion realized from the sales of nomination and expression of interest forms during the 2015 general election.
The PDP chieftain, who spoke in Abuja stated that contrary to reports that Makarfi and Wike were behind his aspiration, added that he consulted with virtually all the PDP governors including governor Wike and the BoT chairman, saying “I have not sat with Makarfi to suggest that if I become chairman, he will be this”.
On the party finances, Secondus challenged interested persons to go to the party secretariat and find out how the N11 billion was expended during the 2015 general election and the issue of what former chairman, Adamu Mu’azu left behind.
“There is no truth in it that Governor Wike wants to do this or that. Like I said I consulted him and move to Bayelsa, why are they not calling Bayelsa governor. I’m close to virtually all the governors, the BoT chairman and others like, I consulted Wike.
“And you know when someone is doing better than the other, those who are not doing what they are suppose to do will always speculate and try to drag others down
“This drag-down syndrome is part and parcel of our politics, there is no truth in it, I have no arrangement with Makarfi. No one is drafting me or want to impose me on anybody” he said.
“Let me be specific, we realised N11 billion from sales of forms nationwide. And in our constitution, when you realize this money, it is shared among the local governments, states, zonal and at national level. I want to plead with you to go into the Secretariat, there is Director of finance, to find out the facts.
“All the correct figures and the account can be given by former treasurer or the current people or the Director of finance who is there, there was no money left that was not accounted for” Secondus added.
I’m working for PDP to regain presidency – Jonathan
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has assured that he was assiduously to ensure that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) returns to power in 2019.
Jonathan, who took responsibility for the party’s defeat in the 2015 election, said this while receiving Chief Olabode George, one of the party’s chairmanship aspirants, in his country home in Otuoke, Bayelsa State, yesterday.
He said it was his responsibility to ensure that the party resurrects as a strong political platform capable of winning the next presidential election in 2019.
“Whether I like it or not, I must take responsibility for the defeat because I led the party to the election. The only thing that will make me sleep well is to ensure that the PDP comes back to power”, he said stressing that he has been working with others to ensure that the party is well organized to return to power.
Earlier, Chief George, who is currently on a nationwide campaign for the chairmanship election in December 9 convention, urged him to ensure that the party emerge stronger from forthcoming national convention.
Chief George said if the PDP fails to apply the micro zoning principle to the chairmanship position in the forthcoming exercise, the damage that would be done to the party would be more destructive than what the party went through following 2015 lose.
He said there were not justifiable reasons why by the Senator Makarfi- led National Caretaker Committee rejected the principle which, he argued was applied in previous elections to the position.

Leave a Reply