By KEMI KASUMU
Tuesday’s resignation of seven national officers of once-upon-a-time Africa’s biggest political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been described as massive.
The hit is feared to have caused a leaking space that may not be easily mended in near future, many have commented.
The DEFENDER reports that that seven officers did a protest resignation from their roles in the party.
In different letters addressed to the PDP’s National Secretary on Tuesday, the chieftains alleged being sidelined and unfairly treated by the National Chairman, Chief Uche Secondus.
Some of the executive members include the National Deputy Publicity Secretary, Diran Odeyemi; Deputy National Organising Secretary, Hassan Yakubu; and the Deputy National Woman Leader, Hadizat Umoru.
This latest event fueled the crisis rocking the leadership of the party after a former spokesperson of the party’s presidential Campaign, Mr. Kasim Afegbua, accused Secondus and the leadership of series of offences.
Afegbua had called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in April, to probe the party’s leadership.
He visited the offices of the anti-corruption agencies to submit his petition and asked them to look into the financial transactions of Mr Secondus, in the spirit of transparency, accountability, and book-keeping, in line with the existing anti-corruption laws.
He also alleged that much of the financial transactions of the PDP under its present leadership have been shrouded in mystery and accused the leadership of a deliberate attempt to short-change the party in the build-up to the 2023 general elections.
In the petition, he asked the anti-graft agencies to scrutinise close to N10 billion that was allegedly accrued to the party’s purse from 2017 till date, especially those that were as a result of sales of nomination forms for presidential, governorship, House of Assembly, and senatorial elections.
Afegbua alleged that the national chairman avoided the use of the party’s bank accounts and used one Morufu Nigeria Limited as a conduit pipe for financial mismanagement in the sales of forms in 2019.
He, therefore, stressed the need for the party’s leadership to lead by example by ensuring transparency and accountability.
