Politics

IBB not happy with Wike, PDP

Published

9 years ago

January 16, 2018

Feyijimi Emmanuel

Wanted Adeniran as National Chairman

By SUNDAY ODIBASHI

There are indications that former Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida is not happy with the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State over the processes at the PDP National Convention in Abuja leading to the election of Uche Secondus as National Chairman of the Party contrary to counsels before the Convention.

PDP leaders in the preparations of the December 9, 2017, National Convention visited IBB in Minna for consultations where the former head of state had counseled on the exigency of an internal power equation in the party to elect a candidate from the South West for the National Chairman since the president had been zoned to the North.

IBB, our source revealed, had supported the candidature of Professor Tunde Adeniran in consensus with some other northern PDP elder statesmen who include Alhaji Adamu Ciroma, retired general Abdusalami Aubabakr, and others. They had expressed the belief that Adeniran is most qualified for the National Chairman of the PDP to lead the party into the 2019 general elections.

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Governor Wike, however, defied the IBB counsel, mobilized resources to ensure the emergence of Secondus as PDP National Chairman. Wike is perceived to be unmindful of the consequences of imbalanced power equation between all stakeholders in the party.

The election of Secondus subsequently spilled over to the rise of a rebellion group from the PDP which opened their own party Secretariat in Abuja. The PDP reconciliation committee headed by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State is still consulting with aggrieved party members in the post-convention crisis for amicable resolution.

IBB, who has though retired from partisan politics, was the pillar which PDP leaders seemed to rely in rebuilding the party after the protracted leadership crisis that plagued the party since the 2015 general elections. The former head of state Isa currently watching the PDP leaders on their negotiation for the party’s presidential candidate. A close source to the former head of state disclosed that he is more disposed to an emergent president that can firmly control the military.