Secondus Reacts To Appeal Court Ruling, Reveals Next Move

The suspended National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, has reacted to the ruling of the Appeal Court rejecting his request to stop the party’s National Convention.

Naija News earlier reported that the Appellate Court had on Friday struck out a suit filed by Secondus against the party’s scheduled national convention.

Secondus who is challenging his removal from office had approached the Appeal Court, Port Harcourt, demanding it to restrain the PDP from holding its 2021 National Convention which had been scheduled for October 30 and 31.

But in a judgement delivered on the suit by a three-member panel, Justice Gabriel Kolawale said the court unanimously dismissed the application for lacking in merit.

However, in a statement released by his media aide, Ike Abonyi, the suspended PDP chairman said that he respect the position of the court but rejected the ruling.

Secondus disclosed that he will appeal the judgement “immediately” to avoid abuse of the party’s constitution and further impunity.

The PDP chieftain stated that the issue is not about him but the sanctity of the PDP’s constitution and core democratic principles of justice and rule of law.

The statement reads: “I have just been briefed of the ruling of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt dismissing my motion to halt the National Convention of the party. I respect the position of the court even though I disagree totally with it.

“Even as the substantive case is still pending at the Court of Appeal, I have instructed my lawyers to study the ruling with a view to appealing it immediately as no abuse of the constitution of our dear party should be allowed to stand.

“The issue is not about Prince Uche Secondus but the sanctity of our party constitution and core democratic principles of justice and rule of law, not only in PDP but in our democracy. No impunity must be condoned.

“I will therefore wish to emphasise the fact that I did not take the party to court and would not have done that. As a foundation member of this party who has served at various levels, State Chairman, Chairman of state Chairmen, National Organising Secretary, Deputy National Chairman, Acting National Chairman and now National Chairman, I am very much abreast with the workings of the party. I have been a witness to how much harm litigations have done to our party in the past and as a result, I have been a strong advocate against settling issues in courts.

‘This was why I resisted and rejected entreaties of those who wanted me to go to court to halt these forces when it was obvious that they were determined to disrupt my leadership and truncate my tenure in office with the sole objective of hijacking the party for their selfish ulterior motives.

“To allow this travesty to stand is to reduce our beloved party to a level where anybody can wake up overnight and remove officers against the proscribed constitutional process and the National Chairman for that matter. And purporting to use the judiciary through an ex parte order to legitimise same.

“As a major practitioner in our democracy, I am duty-bound to protect and defend the sanctity of the provisions of our constitution of which I am the custodian.

“If those who orchestrated and fostered this avoidable crisis had listened to the wise counsel of party leaders and elders who advised the withdrawal of cases, this situation would have been avoidable. I wish the party well as always.”