Ojo Peter, Ibadan
The National Vice Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, (Southwest), Taofeek Arapaja has reiterated that he joined other members of the party to call for the resignation of their National Chairman, Uche Secondus because the party is crumbling under his leadership while he is undisturbed.
Arapaja stated this while featuring on Southwest Political Circuit, an interview programme on Ibadan-based Fresh FM, anchored by Mayor Isaac Brown.
Many PDP members have been calling for Secondus’ resignation since last two weeks, which led to the meeting of the National Working Committee, NWC, governors and members of Board of Trustees, BoT, last week.
The meeting prevailed on members to stop the move to force out Secondus and fixed the national convention of the party for October.
Arapaja, who was recently elected, said he added his voice because the national chairman was not showing signs he wants PDP to win future election, while he also alleged that Secondus was also not running the party in a way that it will provide virile opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
The PDP National Vice Chairman, who was the deputy governor of Oyo State from 2007 to 2011, explained that Secondus did not give a damn that three governors defected to the APC within three months.
According to Arapaja, rather than agonizing over such defections, the PDP boss retorted to saying that each of the defectors has only one vote to contribute to the party.
He therefore described Secondus’s attitude as selfish, stressing that he could not be comfortable with such a leader that does not seek the progress of the party.
Arapaja said that rather than making genuine moves to resolve crises rocking the party in states and regions, Secondus was completely nonchalant.
“You will not like to change a winning team but if a team is not winning, your objective will be to win, because I’m committed to winning and I don’t understand any other language apart from winning, then I will be spared for calling for his resignation.
“Somebody is in a place and he is not doing well. The party is shrinking, everything is going haywire and he is not mobilizing for the party. The man is not doing well. There is defection everywhere. Three governors left within three months and the chairman is coming out to tell everybody that every governor has only one vote. He is not perturbed; he is not worried at all. National Assembly members are defecting and he is not harmonizing the party. He is not reaching out to anybody.
“He is just sitting down in Abuja. So, the party is not doing well. We are not playing the role of a very strategic opposition party.
“So, for those of us who believe in winning, repositioning the party, we had to stand up before the party collapses. If you are committed to the party, if you are not PDP in the morning but APC in the night, you will be worried,” Arapaja said.