Delegates to the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party saturday elected Mr.
Uche Secondus, from the South-south, as the party’s national chairman, amid protests from two other contenders, who alleged that the voting process was compromised with the circulation of a ‘unity list’.
In his acceptance speech, Secondus said he felt humbled, and promises to rebuild the party and lead it to regain power from the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Secondus, who acted as National Chairman of the party shortly after PDP was ousted from power in 2015, polled 2000 votes to beat his closest rival former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, who got 230 votes.
Chief Raymond Dokpesi, scored 66 votes while Prof. Taofeed Adedoja got no vote. Also Senator Umar Tsauri was elected the National Secretary of the party with 1,549 votes.
He defeated Abubakar Mustapha who got 371 votes. Former Minister of State for Finance, Nanadi Usman, came third with 287 votes. In other results, Senator Garba scored 1,316 to clinch the position of deputy national chairman (North). He defeated the wife of former Minister of Finance Inna Ciroma who got 350 votes. The second runner up was Abdulmalik Mahmood who scored 325 votes while Senator Umar Kumo came a distant fourth with 89 votes. Mr. Kola Ologbodiyan emerged the National Publicity Secretary of the party.
The result of the election followed a particular trend with most if not all candidates on the controversial ‘Unity List’ emerging victorious.
Yesterday’s convention was the party’s first elective convention since PDP suffered a devastating defeat in the 2015 general election and it had hoped to use the exercise to reposition itself ahead of the 2019 general election.
Though there were eight candidates for the party’s topmost position, one of them, Chief Olabode George, withdrew his participation less than 24 hours to the election, while four others – Mr. Jim Agbaje, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Chief Rasheed Ladoja and Mr. Olusegun Aderemi withdrew from the race at the convention ground, thus leaving the remaining four.
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