An umbrella body of all the youth organisations in the South-East geopolitical zone, Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL), has accused the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, of being selfish and unpatriotic over his comments on the party’s presidential ticket in 2023.
Secondus at the weekend said that the party’s presidential ticket is open to all persons and geopolitical zones in 2023 against the expectations of the Southern region there should be power shift from the North.
Reacting in a statement by Hon. Goodluck Ibem and Kanice Igwe, President General and secretary of the group respectively, the group said Secondus had just “exposed his myopic mindset simply because of his desire to retain his office as the national chairman of the opposition party”.
The group, which called on the leadership of the PDP to call its national chairman, Secondus to order before he destroys the party, said: “He has just told Nigerians that he is an individualistic politician whose sole aim of being in politics is for his personal gain and nothing more.
“How can Secondus wake-up say that a party that believes so much in zoning, a party that enshrines zoning of political offices in its constitution has suddenly thrown away that section overnight simply because he, Secondus, must be re-elected as National Chairman. This his egocentric game plan will not work.
“PDP is morally and constitutionally obligated to zone the presidential ticket of the party to South-East geopolitical zone because it is the only zone that has not produced Nigerian President before.
“The people of the South-East have paid their dues in the development and advancement of the country and now is the time for the party to pay back Ndigbo for its years of support and solidarity to the PDP.
“It is no secret that South East and Ndigbo wherever they are have always voted for the party. For instance, PDP has always made a significant impact in Lagos State because the Igbos living in Lagos State have always voted for the party. Why would Secondus try to insult the sensibility of the South-East?
“The rotation of the Presidential ticket of the PDP is as old as the party. It started in 1999 and cannot change now. It is the turn of the South-East geopolitical zone to produce a Presidential candidate for the party come 2023.
“Secondus has betrayed the trust and confidence reposed in him by the people and he should leave the stage for a more qualified person to take over the mantle of leadership”.
