It was a case of prophecy fulfilled when the political bulldozer, Prince Uche Secondus, was in the wee hours of Sunday, December 10, 2017 declared the duly elected new national chairman of the Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Prince Secondus, reported by several news organisations as the frontrunner in the race for a new helmsman for the party that ruled Nigeria from the restoration of democracy in 1999 to 2015, thrashed his challengers, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, Chief Raymond Dokpesi and Prof. Taoheed Adedoja during the election which climaxed the party’s elective National Convention held from Saturday morning at the Eagle Square, Abuja.
Secondus, a former acting national chairman of PDP, garnered 2,000 votes as against the 230 votes by his closest rival, former minister of education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran.
Media mogul, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, who was earlier reported to have withdrawn from the race but insisted on seeing the process to the end, got 66 votes while Prof. Taoheed Adedoja finished the race empty-handed.
Prince Secondus is to work with Senator Umar Tsauri, who emerged PDP’s new National Secretary, as well as others elected during the convention.
In his acceptance speech, Prince Secondus promised to rebuild PDP and lead it to regain power in 2019.
Who is Prince Uche Secondus?
Secondus was born on 22 March, 1955, in Andoni, Rivers State. He completed his elementary and secondary education in the state later furthered at the London Chambers of Commerce Institute where he obtained a certificate in commerce.
Secondus’ first shot at politics was during the second republic, when he served as Rivers state youth leader of the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, and later, the state publicity secretary of the National Republican Convention, NRC, from 1993–1998.
In 2002, he was elected the chairman of the River state chapter of the PDP during which he served two tenures.
Having proved to be a key player in south-south politics, Secondus was made the south-south coordinator for the PDP national campaign council during the 2007 general elections. Later in 2008, he was elected the national organising secretary.
In 2013, he became the deputy national chairman of the party and in 2015, succeeded Adamu Mu’azu as the party’s acting national chairman.
The Newly Elected PDP National Leaders
Below is the full list of new members of PDP NWC.
Deputy National Chairman ( South); Yemi Akinwonmi- Ogun
Deputy National Chairman ( North); Garba Gamawa- Bauchi
National Secretary; Ibrahim Tsauri- Katsina
Deputy National Secretary; Abubakar Mustapha
National Treasurer; Aribisala Adewale- Ekiti
Deputy National Treasurer; Wada Masu-Kano
Financial Secretary; Abdullahi Maibasira- Niger
Deputy Fin. Sec.; Irona Gerald-Imo
National Organizing Secretary; Austin Akobundu- Abia
Dep. Nat. Org. Sec.; Hassan Yakubu- Nasarawa
Publicity Secretary; Kola Ologbondiyan- Kogi
Dep. Nat. Pub. Sec.; Diran Odeyemi- Osun
National Legal Adviser; Emmanuel Enoidem- Akwa Ibom
Dep. Nat. Leg. Ads.; Ahmed Liman- Sokoto
National Auditor; Adamu Mustapha-Yobe
Dep. Nat. Auditor; Divine Arong
National Woman Leader; Mariya Waziri-Kebbi
Dep. Nat. Woman Leader; Hadizat Umoru- Edo
National Youth Leader; Udeh Okoye-Enugu
Dep. Nat. Youth Leader; Umar Maina- Adamu
Additional reports from News Express, The Cable, Premium Times
