Wike Meets Secondus, Explains Why He Criticises PDP

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secondus, and other members of the party’s National Working Committee on Saturday met with the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, in Port Harcourt.

It was gathered that PDP NWC was in the state to attend the funeral of the governor’s late uncle, Chief Ihunwo Wike.

However, before the burial, members of the party’s NWC met with Governor Wike to discuss issues related to the party.

Sources at the meeting noted that the Rivers State Governor promised to remain a committed member of the main opposition party, adding that he had nothing against any member of its NWC

The source said, “The governor said he had no problem with either Secondus or any member of the NWC, insisting that he would never join any other political party apart from the PDP.”

“He also told the team that he remained a friend and brother to the party’s national chairman but that sometimes he needed to criticise the NWC in order to make its members sit up and work towards getting power in 2023.”

Secondus and his team were later part of the guests that attended the burial of the late Wike who passed on at the age of 87.

He was until his demise, the Eze Epara Kwurume Chukwuokahia Obasinwo IV of Rumuepirikom Clan in Apara kingdom of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers State.

Special Assistant to the Rivers State Governor on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Saturday, also said those present at the funeral were former governors of Rivers State, Dr Peter Odili and Sir Celestine Omehia and a former Imo State Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha.

Others dignitaries in attendance, it said, included former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sir Austin Opara; Senator Sam Anyanwu; South-South zonal chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih; Chairman of the PDP in Rivers State, Desmond Akawor; Chairman of Rivers Elders Council, High Chief Ferdinand Alabraba; Senator Barry Mpigi and several others.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, has explained that the audit query raised recently by the National Auditor of the PDP, Adamu Mustapha, has been addressed by both the NWC and the party’s National Executive Committee.

Ologbondiyan, who with Punch said, “These issues have been addressed. The auditor himself addressed the media and made clarifications. It is clear that the queries have been answered satisfactorily because it is clear that approvals were sought from both the National Working CNWS and the NEC before anything was done.

“The PDP is one and it will amount to building a mountain out of a molehill over a matter that has been dealt with. Our national chairman leads a transparent team that is accountable to party members. There was no allegation of financial impropriety anywhere.”

Mustapha had alleged that his office was not carried along in the running of the party and that his office was not carried along in the financial transactions.

But two days after the memo surfaced, he addressed the media, saying he was shocked that the memo was “mischievously misrepresented.”

Mustapha said that the NWC was not divided as it was working in the collective interest of the PDP.