Ward Delegates, House of Assembly and National Assembly Aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party from Rivers State on Wednesday carried placards and a coffin labeled ‘UCHE SECONDUS’ in a protest at the gates of the PDP National Secretariat, Abuja over non-issuance of party clearance certificate and exclusion from party primaries process.
Amongst the persons protesting are those who purchased forms for the party’s Adhoc Ward Delegates elections but were stopped from participating in the delegates’ elections; and House of Assembly/National Assembly aspirants who bought nomination forms but were not cleared to participate in the primaries on the spurious ground that they are not members of the party after paying huge sums of money to the party coffers and supporting the party of all these years. For most of them it is unfair that a few people are being allowed to subvert the party’s Constitution and Electoral Guidelines to the detriment of the people of Rivers State.
Ms Eyalada Akari one of the aggrieved House of Assembly aspirant from Abua/Odual LGA in Rivers State said that they are resolved to continue the blockade of the gates of the party offices until their grievances are settled. According to her ‘I and my colleagues spent huge sums of money to procure Party Nomination Forms and pay all sorts of fees, now they have refused to clear us to participate in the primaries without even dignifying us with a reason. Over 200 aspirants bought forms to contest in the PDP House of Assembly primaries and only 45 were allegedly cleared without any reason; what would happen to the rest of us? We will do whatever it takes and remain here until they allow us to participate in authentic primaries of the party.’
Most of the delegates and aspirants that spoke with journalists at the venue of the protest said that there were no delegates elections or Assembly primaries in Rivers State and that the national leadership must intervene to halt the impending destruction of the PDP in Rivers State being brought on by the dastardly activities of the trio of Prince Uche Secondus, Felix Obuah and Nyesom Wike. Their specific requests to the national leadership are that the State Working Committee of the PDP in Rivers State be dissolved; that all the congresses and primaries held so far be cancelled and that Nyesom Wike be stopped from contesting in the forthcoming governorship primaries.
As at press time the gates of the National Secretariat of the PDP was closed with only a few security men seen inside the compound. Members of the PDP Secretariat Press Corps were also not allowed to enter the premises.
A detachment of over 60 policemen were seen standing in formation controlling the crowd.
