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Tag: Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff

  • Sheriff takes over PDP headquarters

    Sheriff takes over PDP headquarters

    The ousted National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff, on Monday staged a dramatic return to the national secretariat of the party to resume official duties.

    Sheriff stormed the party’s office in company of the erstwhile National Secretary of the party, Prof. Wale Oladipo, ousted National Auditor, Alhaji Adewole Adeyanju and a former presidential aide, Ahmed Gulak, among other supporters.

    Initial attempt by the party chiefs to enter the building as early as 9:00am was blocked by policemen manning the gate, apparently on the orders of the Ahmed Makarfi -led caretaker committee.

    Undeterred, Sheriff went to confer with the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, at the Force Headquarters and got permission to be allowed into the building.

    Briefing journalists on arrival at the secretariat, Sheriff said his tenure as chairman remained valid till December 2018, dismissing the caretaker committee as an illegal body.

    He said, “After due consultations with serious minded stakeholders of the party and my lawyers, against the background that I have remained committed to lawful procedures, I have come, fully armed with all the necessary court orders to resume as national chairman, as directed by a court of competent jurisdiction.

    “As we settle down to move the party forward, we wish to call on all party members within and outside the country to come around so that we can together reposition the PDP for future challenges.

    “We have to this served the necessary court orders on the Independent National Electoral Commission which is the impartial arbiter in matters like this, the police as custodians of the law and we will make same available to you gentlemen of the press, so that you can make informed analysis of the issues involved. We hereby seek your own cooperation as we continue the task of re-engineering the PDP.

    “I wish to use this opportunity to thank all those who stood on the side of the truth and the law, and wish to place on record that never again shall the PDP return to wallow in lawlessness and impunity.”

    Only last week, key party organs, including the governors, Board of Trustees (BoT) and National Assembly caucus had handed over the affairs of the party to the caretaker committee.

    But Sheriff said the caretaker committee is alien to the PDP constitution and that if there was any need for setting up such a committee, he, as chairman, ought to have presided over the exercise.

    “Against this backdrop, I hereby declare as null, void and of no consequence whatsoever, any action taken by any person or group of persons, except by my leadership which is recognised by law,” he declared.

  • My role in N500m bank loan – Gana

    My role in N500m bank loan – Gana

    A former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, on Monday explained his role in the controversial N500 million bank loan which he joined others to obtain for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015.

    The PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff, had accused Gana of unilaterally collecting the loan on behalf of the party without approval, threatening to drag the professor before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for questioning.

    But Gana, responding to questions on Monday, said it was the leadership of the party at the time that mandated him to source for funds to enable the party organise fund raising dinner and other activities for Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential campaign.

    He said, “As chairman of the fund raising committee, I was mandate by the party leadership to raise funds and I had the party’s National Financial Secretary and others as members.

    “The then National Working Committee was briefed and we were given the go ahead to obtain the loan on behalf of the party, with the agreement to pay back from the money expected to be realised from the fund raising.

    “But after losing the election, leading to the resignation of the former chairman, Dr. Adamu Mu’azu, the party leadership refused to pay back the money as earlier agreed.

    “The issue of repayment was what led to the crisis and the bank has already taken the matter to court. The money was used by the committee for what it was meant for and account was dully rendered. The records are there. The fact is that I was not even a signatory to the account.”

    Meanwhile, Sheriff had already apologised to Prof. Gana over the accusation, saying he never authorised his media aide that leveled the accusation to do so.

     

     

  • Sheriff to run as sole candidate for PDP chair

    Sheriff to run as sole candidate for PDP chair

    Reprieve on Monday came the way of the embattled National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff.

    The various party organs and stakeholders who were hitherto calling for his ouster gave him the nod to run as sole chairmanship candidate at the national convention billed to hold in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Saturday.

    At a broad based meeting at the party’s secretariat in Abuja, the stakeholders, including the Board of Trustees (BoT) unanimously endorsed Sheriff for the job, with the various dissenting groups in agreement.

    Confirming the development, Sheriff, in a chat with journalists at the party’s secretariat, said his candidacy was first endorsed by the party’s Northeast zone and his home state of Borno in a unanimous voice vote.

    He said, “Yes, I am contesting for the position of chairman at the convention. I have been unanimously endorsed by the Northeast zone and Borno State as sole candidate.

    “The Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, moved the motion for my adoption and his Gombe State counterpart, (Ibrahim Dankwabo) seconded the motion.”

    Sheriff had, after an earlier meeting with the party’s BoT, said the party had dropped its plan to amend the PDP constitution which had been one of the sources of disagreement among party stakeholders.

    He, however, clarified that the decision to amend the party’s constitution was not his idea, saying that he only inherited the recommendation as contained in a report by the Ike Ekweremadu committee.

    Sheriff confirmed the party’s decision to zone the PDP’s presidential ticket to the North for the 2019 general election.

    The chairman also assured the BoT and other stakeholders that disagreements arising from the conduct of ward and zonal congresses across the states would be looked into, with a view to addressing areas of conflict.

    The party also confirmed Senator Walid Jibrin as newly elected chairman of the BoT, with Chief Ojo Maduekwe as secretary.

     

  • PDP crisis: Sheriff threatens to drag Gana before EFCC

    PDP crisis: Sheriff threatens to drag Gana before EFCC

    The leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a new twist on Thursday with the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff threatening to drag a former Information Minister, Prof. Jerry Gana before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Sheriff alleged that Gana unilaterally took a N500 million loan from a second generation bank on behalf of the PDP, without getting approval from the leadership of the party. The party chairman however did not state the time Gana allegedly obtained the said loan.

    Addressing newsmen at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Thursday, the Media Adviser to the party chairman, Mr. Inuwa Bwala who spoke on behalf of his principal, said Gana lacked the credibility to criticise Sheriff.

    Speaking at a stakeholder’s forum held earlier in the day, Gana, in apparent reference to Sheriff, said the PDP had been hijacked by hoodlums and gangsters who are bent on destroying the party.

    He accused the Sheriff-led National Working Committee (NWC) of impunity and reckless imposition of candidates in the just concluded ward and state congresses across the federation.

    Gana said, “To save the PDP from imminent collapse, we need excellent and competent leaders to run the party; not incompetent persons without dignity of purpose parading themselves as leaders.

    “The Southern part of the country should produce the next national chairman because the North had produced seven national chairmen since the birth of the PDP in 1998.

    “The Southwest geopolitical zone has never produced the national chairman in the 16 years of the existence of the PDP”.

    Gana, leading other prominent members of the party, also described the planned amendment to the PDP constitution, championed by Sheriff as illegal and insisted that the national convention slated for May 21 be put on hold.

    But Sheriff vowed to go ahead with the amendment of the constitution and national convention.

    Said he, “The national convention will certainly hold in Port Harcourt on May 21 if the world does not end before that date.

    “The group headed by Prof. Gana and similar others are not known to the party. They should take their grievances to the convention if they have any. If they choose to leave the PDP, it would be good riddance.

    “It would be foolhardy for the PDP chairman to involve the same people who led the PDP to failure in the 2015 general elections in rebuilding the party. These are the same people that played ignoble roles in squandering the resources of the party.

    “Let it be known to Prof. Gana and members of his group that they don’t have the monopoly of mudslinging. If we are forced to open up on them, we will not hesitate to do so.

    Sheriff also accused Gana and members of his group of having approached him for one favour or the other, only to turn around to attack the chairman when they failed to have their way.

    In a communique issued at the end of the Gana-led stakeholders forum, the group announced a 21-member steering committee to run the affairs of the party and work with the Board of Trustees to conduct the national convention.

    The communique also said, “We enjoin all our party faithful not to despair. The new steering committee will soon embark on a nationwide tour, to address and resolve all issues and areas of conflict in every state of the federation.

    “We call on the governors elected under the PDP, who are our leading beacons of light, our able senators, House of Representatives and state Assembly members to take up the gauntlet and support this noble cause.

    “We need to come together as a family, to fight the cancer of impunity that has eaten deep into the tissues of our party”.

    The communique was jointly signed by a former Education Minister, Prof. Tunde Adeniran; a former Deputy Senate President, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu; and Chief Raymond Dokpesi.

    Those that attended the meeting included Chief Ojo Maduekwe, Okwesilieze Nwodo, Chief Bode George, Wilberforce Juta, Dr. Shettima Mustapha, Senator Bala Mohammed, Ibrahim Bunu, Senator Grace Bent, Adamu Maina Waziri among others.

  • Fire guts Ondo governor’s office as Sheriff visits Mimiko

    Fire guts Ondo governor’s office as Sheriff visits Mimiko

    The visitation of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff to the Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko was early disrupted Wednesday as the multi-billion naira Executives’ Chamber of the governor’s office was gutted by fire.

    The PDP Chairman, who arrived the state at exactly 1:15 pm was expected to address the party leaders and journalists in the same executives chamber’s office.

    Sheriff was still in a close door meeting with Mimiko in his main office three minutes after he arrived when the incident occurred.

    This was said to have been caused by power surge from the ante-room of the governor’s office.

    Journalists and PDP leaders, who were waiting for Sheriff at the Executives chamber’s office discovered the fire outbreak but their efforts was not enough to quench the fire.

    However, as the information reached the governor, he quickly left the office with his guest to the Government House which is about two kilometers to his office. Workers were seen rushing out of their offices for safety.

    Officers of the Fire Brigade Services and the State Commissioner for Works, Mr. Gboye Adegbenro arrived the scene 20 minutes after the incident occurred.

    The State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, while confirming it said it was a minor incident and had been put off by the fire officers.

    According to him, “we have a power surge at the ante room that the links to the State executives chamber of the governor’s office.

    “Our fire officers responded promptly and put off the fire. Work is now back normal at the governor’s office.

    Akinmade said he decided to address reporters in order to discourage people with insinuation by putting the record straight.

    “It is a general things that power surge occurred. Of recent, I think CBN office in Calabar was on fire and even the fire secretariat in Abuja was once on fire.

    “Thank God that our fire fighters were able to be on ground to prevent the incident from being escalated.

    The Commissioner however said he could not ascertain the level of damage of the fire incident.

    At the Government House, Sheriff said he was in the state to consult with the PDP Governors’ Forum Chairman ahead of the PDP Convention slated for May.

     

     

     

  • Disquiet in PDP over tenure extension for Sheriff, others

    Disquiet in PDP over tenure extension for Sheriff, others

    The three-month tenure extension approved for the National Chairman the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) has become a source of friction with the party.

    Rising from a meeting in Abuja on Thursday, the PDP Rescue Group, headed by Ambassador Wilberforce Juta queried the rationale and authority under which the extension was granted.

    The extension was granted on Tuesday by party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), the NWC, the National Assembly Caucus and the PDP Governors’ Forum.

    But Juta and his group have said that no organ of the party has the powers to extend the tenure of the party officials, insisting that Sheriff and other NWC members must vacate office by March 28.

    In a statement released after the meeting, the Rescue Group said, “We affirm that no authority has the power under the PDP constitution to extend the tenure of nay official or organ of the party. The tenure of the current National Working Committee will expire on March 28, 2016. We expect all party leaders and organs to abide by that.

    “It is obvious that our leaders have realised their mistake and appear willing to correct the earlier decision in order to save the party from decimation. We urge them to go the whole hog.

    “Congresses and national convention to elect new party leaders at all levels can indeed be conducted in the month of March, 2016.

    “Friday, February 26, 2016 marks the third day in line with the seven day ultimatum handed down by the National Caucus to the NWC to produce a programme leading to the party congresses and national convention.

    “We call on all party members and stakeholders, particularly the NEC, the NWC, the BoT, the National Caucus, the National Assembly Caucus, the Ministers’ Forum, as well as sympathizers of the party and those who are willing to join the party to remain steadfast and henceforth to rise up to challenge impunity and imposition.”

    But the BoT argued that Sheriff and the NWC members should be allowed to stay for three months for the unity, cohesion and future successes of the party.

    In a communique issued at the end of its meeting in Abuja on Thursday, the trustees adopted the three-month tenure extension, warning however, that under no guise must the tenure be extended beyond May.