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Tag: Senator Ahmed Makarfi

  • Makarfi’s PDP under fire over comment on released Chibok girls

    Makarfi’s PDP under fire over comment on released Chibok girls

    Following a statement credited to Senator Ahmed Makarfi’s led faction of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) condemning the negotiation and the prisoner swap that resulted in the release of 82 of the girls abducted from a girls secondary school in Chibok, Borno State by Boko Haram terrorists, a group under the auspices of League of Upcoming Political Parties has described the statement as shocking from a ‘confused group’.

    The league in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Dr. Musa Ahmadu and make available to media in Kaduna Monday added that, is more shocking that the statement was coming from the faction led by man who has been the executive governor and chief security officer of a state for eight years and who is widely acclaimed to have brought relative peace to his state of Kaduna during his tenure.

    The statement read in part, “the comment of the PDP at a time when the whole world was congratulating the federal government for leading the initiative that saved the lives of 82 innocent young girls, brought joy to their homes and rekindled the hope of the citizenry that it is now blessed with an effective government which can go all lengths to secure the lives of its citizens.

    “The statement by a faction of a fractured party can only be excused on the basis that the stress of its prolonged engagement to claim authenticity of the party has begun to affect the psyche of its leadership and raises the question whether the statement is not a subtle extension of the cold war between the Makarfi faction and Ali Modu Sheriff.

    “We advice Makarfi not to allow his frustration with Modu Sheriff rob him on his integrity and wisdom for he is one of the most respected among the tribe of former governors in Nigeria. Issuing this kinds of statements that panders to kindergarten logic would definitely harm his head earned reputation.

    “The Makarfi faction said the negotiations that led to the release of the 82 girls violate international best practices  of not negotiating with terrorists, but the faction tends to forget that even US which is the lead figure in the fight against terrorism has never closed the path towards negotiation when it’s interest is at stake and has many times  entered into negotiations with terrorists groups and exchanged prisoners with the underlying aim of securing the lives of hostages first before any other thing”.

    The statement continued, ‎”the Makarfi faction seems to have forgotten  that at the end of every strategy or engagement, it is the result that matters  and that best practices are not statutes but strategies hence cannot be violated but replaced when the matter demands a different approach.

    “The faction also claimed the release of the girls through this process will exert pressure on the parents of the remaining girls yet to be released. They claim the parents of the remaining girls would begin to wonder why their own children were not among the lucky ones released.

    “The recent release of the 82 girls, the largest number so far, rather than sadden the parents of those that are yet to return, has followed a similar pattern by reigniting the hope of the parents of those yet to see their children that it remains a matter of time for them to be equally lucky and has erased the despondency created by the PDP government which kept making statements about its helplessness on the situation and inflicting psychological torture on the parents.

    “The current release of the 82 girls needs to be stressed has not only restored hope in the whole of Chibok, Borno State and Nigeria but globally, that not only are these girls alive and well but with the application of  efficient strategies like the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has done, the remaining girls would be found and rescued.

    “We wonder where Makarfi ‎ and his cohorts have been all this while when the current administration has recorded success in the fight against the insurgents by clearing the dreaded Sambisa Forest which became a no go area in the PDP era, secured the release of kidnapped victims, preventing the terrorists from holding any territory under the federal republic of Nigeria and degrading the terrorists to a stage where they can only attack soft targets.

    “But it must be made clear to Makarfi and his co-travellers  that the current administration places high premium on the sanctity of human lives and respect for human rights which has been the hallmark of the current military in all its operations”, the statement added.

     

  • Health challenges: Makarfi urges Buhari to hand over to Osinbajo

    Health challenges: Makarfi urges Buhari to hand over to Osinbajo

    . . . Blames sycophants for Jonathan’s defeat in 2015 poll

     

    The chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to hand over power to Vice President Yemi Osibanjo pending his full recovery from his undisclosed illness.

    Makarfi, who made the call in an interview with our correspondents in Abuja on Thursday, said if President Buhari is not fit enough to remain in office, it’s better to tell the Nigerian people and allow the Vice President to continue as Acting President and return to work after full recovery.

    The leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that the President would be working from his official residence, after failing to attend the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting for three consecutive weeks.

    But Makarfi disagreed with the APC’s position, saying, “It cannot be okay and it can never be okay. My take is that if the President is not fully fit to stay in office, it is better that he tell Nigerians, so that the Vice President will continue to be Acting President, exercising the powers of acting president.

    “Then you run away from this kind of situation when we allow time for the President to fully recover and assume his mantle of leadership. Me as PDP person, as a human being, I will never wish any human being ill-will even if I disagree with you politically.

    “So it does not matter that it is APC that is the person that is sick. May prayer is that he is fit to serve his term. As a politician, I equally want him to finish his term. So when some people begin to insinuate things, of what interest would it be to PDP should the President be unable to finish his term.

    “We don’t wish him ill will, we want him to be well, we want him to be fit enough to be on seat when in 2019 we go for election and defeat the APC .

    “For a number of reasons, the PDP wishes the President well, for stability of this country, political stability and the fact that we want to defeat a sitting President. We don’t want any confusion politically in this country. It is not good for anybody and as a human being; I never wish anybody ill will irrespective of political differences”.

    Makarfi also reacted to the claim by former President Goodluck Jonathan that some prominent members of the PDP from Northern Nigeria, including the erstwhile party chair, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, betrayed him by working against his re-election in the 2015 elections.

    The Caretaker Committee chairman said Jonathan was betrayed by sycophants he surrounded himself with, coupled with the fact that the party leadership made many mistakes and failed to take wise counsel.

    Said he, “The PDP made many mistakes and I have said it before. Of course there were betrayers left, right and centre, even those of us who stood for other elective offices we can be talking that way.

    “We made mistakes; we were not listening to what people had to tell us. We were too comfortable, then of course sycophancy took over and when sycophancy takes over what would you end up with.

    “There were all kinds of betrayals. We have learnt our lessons now. I don’t want to cry over spilled milk. We should learn from the mistakes that we have made for not listening to the true voices of the people.

    “Going forward, we should try to avoid a situation where we would be saying someone betrayed us. No matter what, you will find Judases here and there and you cannot do away with them in life not even in politics.

    “And when they are in majority, you have to look at yourself as a party and the honest truth is that we made fundamental errors. And it created a fertile ground for that betrayal. I am not defending it because it ought not to have happened. And people would have been more patient but not everybody can be patient”.

    On the argument by some prominent Northern party chieftains that PDP would have won the 2015 election if the party had fielded a popular candidate from the North, instead of Jonathan, Makarfi agreed that the race would have been easier for the party.

    “Yes, the result would have been different, but even then, Jonathan as the candidate if the party had listened a lot more, and rejigged its campaign, its language and the message.

    “True or false, the votes difference was about two million. It would have been different even with Jonathan as a candidate. It is not just of him as a candidate, but communicating better and dealing with the right people could have made the situation different.

    “But that is history. So we should learn from the mistakes we have made. So you cannot entirely say because Jonathan was a candidate, of course it would have been much easier, but even with him as candidate, the characters fronting for PDP were not characters that could have won election for the party”.

    On the future of the PDP, in view of the party’s protracted leadership crisis, Makarfi said his group are waiting for the commencement of its appeal against the court backed National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff. The Supreme Court is to commence hearing in the matter on May 5.

    Asked what would be the fate of the PDP should his faction lose the case to Sheriff at the apex court, Makarfi said that would spell the death knell of the crisis-ridden opposition party.

    He continued, “If it happens that way, PDP would die. But those who would be working to kill PDP that way, I assure you they would end up being confronted with a bigger political force than the PDP itself.

    “Because politics is about people, there is no way, let me speak here for the North that I know so well; there is no way in the North with Sheriff at the helm of affairs of PDP that voters would on their own go and vote PDP. There is no way.

    “We have just seen it in a recent election in Delta State that they have turned their back against PDP because of Sheriff. And it may be so in many states of the southern part of this country.

    “These people are alive, they are politicians, they are active. Water will surely find its level. And consistently, we have been saying that we are not going to be caught unawares. We are not going to be caught without options.

    “We cannot boast of what the Supreme Court judgment would be but we are hopeful that they would do what is right. And in our opinion, what is right is upholding the Convention.

    “But should what we think is right not be in law right before the Supreme Court, so be it. We will decide our political direction in good time. And that political direction, I assure you, would be one that would be more potent than the PDP as it is.

    “Because PDP as it is, we know that we carry wounds, a lot of stigmatism, a lot of things and in an effort to kill a rat, you may let a lion loose because God  Almighty that created us loves us and He looks over everybody.

    “God wants something that is good for our people and there is no way you can deny whatever is good for our people no matter the intrigues you apply. You may think you are squeezing people one way, but you may be giving birth to something that you may not be able to squeeze.

    “Win or loose, members of PDP have a bright future. So I am saying PDP members should not be bothered because win or loose at the Supreme Court, they have a brighter political future. A decision will be taken at the appropriate time”.

    Describing what he described as Sheriff’s sinister antics, the party chief accused some prominent members of the ruling APC of foisting him on the PDP against the wish of the majority.

    Said he, “There are invisible hands that are hoisting him, and hoisting him purely with the view to destroying opposition and that is what he is basking in. Nigerians should wake up.

    “It is not about PDP, it is about development of democracy and the voice of democracy in Nigeria. And if it is PDP today, it will be another party tomorrow.

    “That is what we are standing on and that is what we are fighting for so that tomorrow whichever party may find itself in power will not be able to stop easily or decimate opposition in order to have an easy way.

    “You can take a horse to the river, you cannot force it to drink water.  And people will decide for themselves at the appropriate time”.

    According to him, PDP members across the federation would never remain in the party with Sheriff calling the shots, stressing that the party chairman has gone into financial deal with some APC governors with the sole aim of destabilising the PDP in their various states ahead of the 2019 elections.

    “Sheriff is busy factionalising the PDP across the states but we are not going to erect parallel structures in any state in deference to the Appeal Court ruling and in order not to further compound the problem.

    “He is doing this for the APC governors to win comfortably in their various states and he is being paid for the job. Sheriff has taken up a job to destroy the PDP for a fee and that is exactly what he is doing”, Senator Makarfi said.

    On the fate of the PDP in the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun States, Makarfi said voters in those states will never allow themselves to be without options.

    “You see, politics is local, those states are not sleeping. They have their eyes wide open; they would never allow themselves to be without options.

    “PDP men and women would never allow themselves to be without options, our prayer is that on May 4, all the motions filed before the Supreme Court would have been heard.

    “And if all this are heard, our prayer is that the Supreme Court would do justice in time. And mind you, within the week, even the INEC said this crisis in PDP is affecting its ability to properly plan for elections.

    “So this matter is more of elective matter than that of political party issue because every day there are elections and it is causing confusion in the land.

    “Our prayer is that the Supreme Court will do justice and in our opinion, justice is respecting what the overwhelming party men and women want and do it in good time.

    “Either way, whatever they decide, people would take their position as to what they are going to do and our prayer is that their decision will bring sanity in the land”, he stated.

     

     

  • Makarfi chides Sheriff over attack on Jonathan, Wike

    Makarfi chides Sheriff over attack on Jonathan, Wike

    The Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi has chided the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff for attacking former President Goodluck Jonathan and the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.

    Sheriff had, at a media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, accused Jonathan of collecting N50 million from Wike to organise last week’s stakeholders meeting to reconcile warring factions in the PDP. Sheriff’s deputy, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh addressed the media briefing.

    But at another media briefing in Abuja on Friday, Makarfi said it’s uncharitable for Sheriff and his camp to concoct deliberate falsehood aimed at impugning the character and public perception of the former president.

    In the text of the address read by the spokesman of the Caretaker Committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, the faction said it’s the height of lunacy for Sheriff and Ojougboh to allege that a person of Jonathan’s standing could be induced by anyone to organise a meeting.

    Makarfi said, “These people are pigs in the mud and they have no qualms in dragging decent people into the pit.

    “Our first reaction after reading the concoction put together by Cairo Ojugboh was to ignore him since he is not an officer of the PDP.

    “But ignoring him may send wrong signal to the unsuspecting members of the public and members of our party, hence the need for this clarification.

    “Mr. Ojugboh in recent times has been making series of unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations against major stakeholders of the PDP, especially those people his renegade group believes are seriously against the evil intention of Ali Modu Sheriff to destroy the only main opposition voice in the country, the PDP.

    “However, we are not surprised that Mr. Cairo would hallucinate and found pleasure in castigating Governors Nyesom Wike and Ayodele Fayose of Rivers and Ekiti states at every turn but has never been able to utter a single word of criticism against their paymaster, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) despite its gross ineptitude and maladministration.

    “For the record, the last stakeholders meeting convened and chaired by former President Jonathan, was not sponsored or organised by Governor Wike or Fayose as alleged by Mr. Cairo Ojugboh”.

    According to Makarfi, the need for the meeting was agreed upon at the residence of a former National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Aliyu Gusau in the presence of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, Professor Wale Oladipo, Senator David Mark, Senator Ahmed Makarfi and Senator Ben Obi

    “Gen. Gusau and Senator Mark were mandated in that meeting to approach the former President to convene an all-inclusive meeting of stakeholders in order to chart a way forward for a lasting peace in the party”, Makarfi added.

    The Caretaker Committee expressed dismay at Sheriff’s penchant for blackmailing every available public institution in the country just to mislead the unsuspecting public.

    Makarfi continued, “Again, we wish to take serious exception to the baseless allegation made by Ojougboh that Governor Wike bribed the Judiciary to get justice in the Rivers State governorship election at the Supreme Court.

    “This is another high point of rascality by the Sheriff renegade group and we have been reliably informed that the latest accusation against the Judiciary is part of their calculated and clandestine plot to blackmail the Justices of the Supreme Court.

    “They did the same to the Justices of the Special Appeal panels during the Ondo State governorship election case when the panel, led by Justice Sankey was falsely accused of collecting over N200 million from former Gov. Olusegun Mimiko in November 2016.

    “We believe the Judiciary and indeed all Nigerians are taking note of the antecedents of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and Co. as we urge the Judiciary not to ignore such weighty allegations by this irritant group”.

    The Makarfi camp expressed satisfaction that the ongoing campaign by Sheriff to infiltrate the ranks of party members in the South East and South-South was being spurned by key stakeholders.

    He stated that the PDP is not organising any campaign or rally in any part of the country at the moment and urge members to remain steadfast and continue to ignore any meeting called by Sheriff and his “doomsday naysayers”.

    According to him, there will be no elective national convention of the PDP as announced by Sheriff until the appeal pending before the Supreme Court is decided. Him advised state chapters to ignore any directive from Sheriff regarding the convention.

    He also enjoined stakeholders to ignore the request made by Sheriff for state chapters to submit their lists of delegates on or before the April 27 and his call for the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on May 3.

    The PDP, he said, will announce meetings of the various organs of the party at the appropriate time after due consultation with all stakeholders.

    “For the umpteenth time, we wish to re-iterate that Senator Sheriff and co. are in defiance of the Court of Appeal order of status quo ante May 21, 2016 with self-appointed officers like Cairo Ojugboh.

    “Only three officers are with him and therefore, such NWC is non-existent. As for the deputy officers who shamelessly assumed offices as NWC members on false claim of purported resignation of the substantive officers, their comic action against the party speaks volume”.

    The Makarfi camp called on all organs and key stakeholders in the party nationwide to continue supporting the Caretaker Committee in moving the party forward.

    According to him, the only interest of the Caretaker Committee is the survival of the PDP against the “suffocating influence” of the ruling APC.

     

  • PDP: No accord with Sheriff, says Makarfi

    PDP: No accord with Sheriff, says Makarfi

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership tussle between Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and Senator Ahmed Makarfi is far from over, regardless of Thursday’s agreement between the two factions to cease media hostilities.
    The Makarfi faction declared on Friday that there is no accord in place between it and the Sheriff camp.
    Prince Dayo Adeyeye, spokesman for the Makarfi faction, said in a statement in Abuja that the only area of agreement is that the two sides will withhold fire in the media for now.
     He said reports that they have reached a ‘political solution’ is not true, stressing that they only agreed before the Governor Dickson’s reconciliation committee  to “stop further media attacks on officers, elders and other stakeholders of the PDP across the internal political divide.”
    He added: “For the record, the agreement was not a political solution but rather an understanding reached urging representatives of ‘the key actors’ from both groups not to dissipate energy amongst themselves but to focus on how to unite as a formidable force capable of re-gaining power from the failed All Progressive Congress (APC)-led government in the 2019.
    “The agreement also implores both parties to desist from making public derogatory remarks against each other that could cause inflammatory reactions capable of dragging the party to the mud.”
    Adeyeye added that the national caretaker committee and all the organs of the party are working with the reconciliation committee to reach a lasting political solution.
    The four point media hostilities cessation agreement demands that  “all actors of the parties should desist from making derogatory, inflammatory and divisive statements against party officials, stakeholders and members.”
    It also said: “all key actors in the on-going peace process should henceforth desist from making public statements attacking each other and statements insinuating negative acts capable of dragging the party to the mud.”
  • PDP crisis: Sheriff frustrating peace process, says Makarfi

    PDP crisis: Sheriff frustrating peace process, says Makarfi

    The chairman of the caretaker committee of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi has accused the party’s national chairman, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff of frustrating the party’s peace process.

    Makarfi, who made the accusation in Abuja on Wednesday while meeting some Northern leaders of the PDP, said Sheriff reneged on a proposal by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    He told the gathering that Sheriff refused to abide by an arrangement where both of them would resign their positions. He also blamed the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson for presenting a convention report to Sheriff without consultation.

    Said he, “When Dickson came to meet me on his committee’s report, I told him, you are one of the governors that met with former president Goodluck Jonathan and he spelt out the proposal of peace plan which he communicated to the National Assembly caucus, communicated to us (caretaker committee) and other organs of the party.

    “And I asked him, are you now removing yourself from that? Why didn’t you table what you have before your colleagues? I also asked him whether he had taken pains to read the Port Harcourt Appeal Court judgement and he said no.

    “That judgement is based on two premises which we did not accept. The first premise, which we did not accept in our appeal to the Supreme Court, that the tenure of three members of the NWC will expire in august this year and 18 will expire in July 2018.

    “If you now propose to hold convention in June, what are you going to achieve? How will the June convention is different from last year’s in Portharcourt and he said he didn’t think about that.

    “And if he didn’t think about it, he shouldn’t do anything that will go against court of appeal judgment. What that judgement stipulates is a return to a status quo ante. What the court means is that all the national officers before May 21 must return to office. What Sheriff is doing is against the judgement, all his actions run foul against the judgement.

    “The proposal on the way forward is to revert to the status quo as pronounced by the court of appeal. This is what I told Dickson, that he should go back to his colleagues governors and other organs of the party to clear the issue. As far as we are concerned, the caretaker committee has no position other than what the organs of the party.

    “President Jonathan, after meeting with the governors, at about 1 am, called me and told me about the resolution they have reached, which he said will be forwarded to the NASS causus and other organs of the party as part of political solution. Some of the resolution is that the judgement of appeal court must be respected to prevent anybody from coming tomorrow to rubbish the party with litigation.

    “Again, having reverted to the status quo, everybody will now formally resign. If everybody will resign, then the solicitors of the organs of the party will now sit down and look at all the legal issues involved and then draw up a MoU that will serve as settlement of parties. This will be deposited at the Supreme Court as the settlement of the crisis.

    “Even if this is not provided in the constitution of the party, INEC is going to accept it and no one is going to rubbish PDP on that.

    “In response, I told the former president that the caretaker committee has nothing against his proposal but that it will be presented before the organs and if accepted, the caretaker committee will stand by it.

    “Former President Jonathan said he told Sheriff to go and consult and after his reply, he will get back to him. Uptill now he has not gotten back to him. What it means is that perhaps, he did not get positive response from Sheriff.”

    Some of those present at the meeting were chairman former minister of police affairs, Adamu Maina Waziri; former minister of information, Prof Jerry gana; Aminu Wali; former PDP youth leader, Abdullahi Maibasira; Sen Saidu Kumo; Sen Aruwa; chairman of former ministers, Kabiru Turaki; former governor of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bala Mohammed; former governor of Adamawa Boni Haruna.

    Former governor of Kano State Ibrahim Shekarau; Hon Tukur; Gen. David Jeribewon; former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru   Bafarawa; former governor of Niger State, Dr Babangida Aliyu; former deputy national publicity secretary of PDP, Abdullahi Jalo; former deputy governor of Sokoto, Murtahr Shagari; former women minister, Hajiya Inua Ciroma; former governor of Plateau, Sen Jonah Jang; Sen Abubakar Gada; Sen. Solomon Ewuga among others.

     

  • Makarfi to Sheriff: Let us resign

    Makarfi to Sheriff: Let us resign

     

    …Sheriff declines, says Makarfi scheming for presidential ticket

     

     

    The Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi has offered to resign his position and called on the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff to also resign.

    Makarfi said he was ready to resign, in line with the directive by former President Goodluck Jonathan asking him and Sheriff to step aside to allow the ongoing reconciliation efforts achieve results.

    But Sheriff has declined, insisting that he would go ahead to conduct the party’s planned national convention, tentatively fixed for June 30 by a reconciliation committee headed by the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson.

    The two factions traded accusations at separate media briefings in Abuja on Monday.

    Spokesman of the Caretaker Committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye said Makarfi and Sheriff’s resignation would create a level playing field for the party to build trust and confidence in the members.

    Adeyeye said, “We accepted President Goodluck Jonathan and the Governors’ comprehensive political solution. It called for the resignation of Senator Sheriff and the so called NWC and also the National Caretaker Committee to create a level playing field for all, and to build trust among all members.

    “We in the caretaker committee have agreed to resign as directed by former President Jonathan and the governors, but Sheriff has refused.

    “The agreement is then to be submitted to the Supreme Court as the judgment of the Court. This would have provided both political and legal solution to the logjam.

    “But Senator Sheriff rejected it and has continued to insist that he would conduct a national convention even when he does not enjoy the trust and confidence of the vast majority of party members.

    “It is therefore very clear who has a personal or hidden agenda. And I dare say, it is Senator Sheriff and not the National Caretaker Committee.

    “The Caretaker Committee has stated severally that it will go anytime that it is asked to do so by the organs of the party. We have no personal agenda or interest and we will not stay a day longer than permitted by the critical organs of the party”.

    Rebuffing the call for resignation, Sheriff, who spoke through his deputy, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, accused Makarfi of scheming to get the party’s presidential ticket for the 2019 election.

    Ojougboh said it’s Makarfi’s presidential ambition that is stalling reconciliation efforts in the party, adding that it’s for the same reason the former Kaduna State Governor has opposed the planned convention under Sheriff.

    He said, “Makarfi wants a situation where he will tailor-make the convention to suit his interest because he has come out to say that he will be contesting for the presidency of the country.

    “We are very mindful that we are not going to tie our party around any individual. That is why Sheriff said he would throw everything open. That is why we are studying the position of the reconciliation committee and that is good enough to advance our party.

    “The reason why the caretaker committee is protesting is that they have seen that the table is now crumbling fast under their feet. All the organs of the party are cueing into the reconciliation plan and when the reconciliation pulls through, they are out.

    “After that, Senator Makarfi can only come as a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT)”.

    Ojougboh further alleged that Makarfi’s opposition to the planned convention stemmed from a N50 million monthly subvention the caretaker committee has been collecting from the party’s governors.

    “They know that the N50 million monthly subventions Makarfi gets from the governors will stop after the reconciliation and convention. They know that as soon as the ongoing reconciliation pulls through they will no longer exist”, Ojougboh said.

    But Adeyeye described Ojougboh’s allegation as blackmail that is too cheap and too simplistic.

    “This is a lie from the pit of hell and a very cheap and unintelligent attempt at blackmail. It is a known fact by all critical stakeholders of the party and even the staff that the National Caretaker Committee have from inception been hamstrung by inadequate finance.

    “So much so that simple secretariat duties have been a struggle while we have been unable to pay staff salaries of just N18 Million a month. Members of the National Caretaker Committee do not enjoy any remuneration.

    “It is a selfless service. It is therefore a figment of his imagination to say that the governors give the National Caretaker Committee N50 million monthly.

    “The Governors are all alive and are free to come forward and declare publicly their level of contributions to the National Caretaker Committee since May 21, 2016”, Adeyeye retorted.

    According to him, it’s normal for organs of the party to freely make contributions towards the running of the party, stressing that there is nothing illegal about in receiving contributions from party members.

    “Our only regret is that these contributions have not been forthcoming as expected, given the heavy weight of responsibilities placed before us and especially the burden of having to deal with distractions caused by Senator Sheriff and his cohorts.

    “Nevertheless, no matter how little, it is better to be funded by our party members than by the All Progressive Congress (APC) as is the case with Senator Sheriff and his cohorts.

    “Dr. Cairo Ojougboh should tell us which APC Governor, Minister or official bought Jeeps for them? Governor Fayose has also made a public allegation that Senator Sheriff had received the sum of $1 million from the APC to organize a new convention. Senator Sheriff is yet to publicly refute the allegation”.
    “The only thing that matters to Dr. ojougboh is his own selfish and personal interest to be Deputy National Chairman at all cost. If he is offered that position today by the party, he would not think twice to abandon Sheriff. He has no locus to speak or act on behalf of the party”.

    Makarfi accused Sheriff of dodging service from the Supreme Court, as he has continued to avoid being served with cross appeal documents from the apex court.

    He urged the party chair to make himself available to be served the court papers if he believed in the merit of his case.

    “Finally, we want to ask why Senator Sheriff is running away from justice by avoiding service from the Supreme Court.

    “This is very unfair from a man who has been using the court to further his own selfish ends. He should accept service and face his case squarely if he believes in the merit of his cause”.

    Makarfi had approached the Supreme Court, challenging the February 17 judgment of the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal that affirmed Sheriff as chairman of the PDP.

     

  • Makarfi angry with Dickson over convention report

    Makarfi angry with Dickson over convention report

     

    The chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi has expressed displeasure with Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state.

    Makarfi’s anger at Dickson stemmed from the publicity given the governor’s presentation of a committee report to the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff on Tuesday.

    Among others, the said report contained recommendations for the conduct of a national convention, tentatively fixed for June 30.

    In a statement he circulated in Abuja on Wednesday, Makarfi faulted the Bayelsa Governor for making the report public without consultation with relevant stakeholders.

    According to him, the governor spurned advice to circulate and consult widely with key organs and stakeholders, adding that the said report was still subject to review and amendment.

    Makarfi said Dickson presented him with a draft of the report and that he had advised the governor to ensure proper consultation and effect some changes before making it public.

    “I am shocked and disappointed that the Gov. of Bayelsa made public presentation of a purported report approved or endorsed by us and other stakeholders as reported.

    “He met me yesterday (Tuesday) and I pointed out the problems with his proposals. That it will go against even the Court of Appeal Judgement.

    “At the end, I told him as Caretaker Committee, whatever is approved by the organs of the party that we represent, we will work with and I advised him to revert back to his colleagues and other organs. But this is what we are seeing.

    “Be that as it may, the Committee never saw any draft report even though he promised coming with it. In any case, as personal advice, I referred him back to the organs of the party and the Goodluck Jonathan Committee. There was nothing before us from organs of the party to accept or reject”.

    The said report had conceded to Sheriff powers to preside over the proposed and to select 12 members into the Convention Planning Committee, in consultation with party stakeholders.

    Among those listed as members of the Convention Planning Committee include seven serving governors, seven serving senators, 12 members of the House of Reps, six members of the BoT and six national vice chairmen.

    Others include 18 zonal chairmen, six Speakers of state assemblies; six former governors, former presiding officers of the National Assembly, six prominent Women Leaders, six youth leaders and six former ministers.

     

  • PDP crisis: I won’t step down, says Sheriff

    PDP crisis: I won’t step down, says Sheriff

    . . .Insists on convention

     

    The National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji All Modu Sheriff has ruled out stepping down as one of the options in the search for political solution to the party’s leadership crisis.

    Key stakeholders in the party have been harping on a vague concept of “political solution” without being explicit on details of the concept.

    Sheriff was reacting to a media report indicating that former President Goodluck Jonathan had asked him and the rival Caretaker Committee chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi to step down and allow the party’s governors to nominate another chairman.

    In a statement Thursday signed on his behalf by his appointed party spokesman, Mr. Bernard Mikko, Sheriff said the issue of resignation did not come up during his meeting with former President Goodluck Jonathan last week.

    The statement said, “The general public, PDP members and the media are hereby informed that the issue of the National Chairman’s resignation as the political solution has never been discussed nor was it put up for discussion with the former President and other stakeholders.

    “The general public, PDP members nationwide and the media are hereby informed that shortly before the Court of Appeal judgement of 17th February, 2017; all parties and stakeholders agreed that on the receipt of the Court of Appeal judgement, whichever way it goes; members will be prevailed upon and urged to support the judgement and orders of the Court of Appeal and rally round the successful party to conduct; as soon as possible a national unity convention for the election of officers; the modalities of which shall be worked out by all stakeholders of the party.

    “As law abiding citizen and advocate of the rule of law, the National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff hereby calls on all stakeholders including but not limited to PDP governors; national and state assembly members; Board of Trustee members to make themselves available and give their input on how we can; as quickly as possible conduct a national unity convention where our national officers will be elected. The National Chairman has promised and undertaken not to contest”.

    Efforts by our correspondent to get the reaction of the Makarfi camp did not yield results. Repeated telephone calls and SMS messages to the spokesman of the Caretaker Committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye were left unanswered.

    Also Thursday, another reconciliation committee of the party, headed by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, met with some party leaders and some PDP National Assembly members in Abuja.

    A statement signed by Dickson after the meeting also harped on the need to find a political solution to the crisis, describing it as the best option.

    The Dickson committee endorsed the resolution reached by Jonathan and the governors, “without prejudice to the ongoing judicial processes”.

    The statement said, “As part of this process, it is imperative that an early convention within the second quarter of 2017 should be held in Abuja, which therefore should be all inclusive and where new national officials of the party will be freely, fairly and transparently elected.

    “In furtherance of this, the reconciliation committee shall embark on extensive consultations with all stakeholders with a view to building confidence and necessary consensus toward the unity convention”.

    “The committee, however, appeals to all party leaders and members of PDP to exercise restraint and focus on the loyalty to and the overall interest of the party”.

    Meanwhile, Sheriff Thursday announced Dr. Ahmed Gulak, a former Political Adviser to former President Jonathan as his Chief of Staff, with the appointment taking immediate effect.

     

  • Contempt: PDP asks court to jail Makarfi, Obi, others

    Contempt: PDP asks court to jail Makarfi, Obi, others

    The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, has asked the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to jail his arch rival, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, and some of his loyalists.

     

    Apart from the former governor of Kaduna State, Sheriff, who is also a former governor of Borno State, also listed three other prominent leaders of the party as those to be jailed by the appellate court.

     

    Sheriff and the National Secretary of the party, Prof. Wale Oladipo, accused Makarfi and others of flouting the order of the court, which was delivered on February 17, 2017.

     

    The court, in the judgment, had pronounced Sheriff as the national chairman of the party while it also upheld that Oladipo remained its national secretary.

    Apart from Makarfi, others named as alleged contemnors are the two other members of the sacked National Caretaker Committees, Senator Ben Obi (secretary) and Mr. Dayo Adeyeye(publicity secretary).

     

    He also listed a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, among the alleged contemnors.

     

    Sheriff, in suit number APPEAL NO: CA/PH/349/2016, asked the court to commit the four persons to prison for one year over the alleged contempt.

     

    Apart from the four named above, the PDP national chairman also listed a former Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha; a former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana; Chairman, Board of Trustees of the party, Senator Walid Jibrin; and an aspirant to the office of the party’s national chairman, Chief Bode George, as alleged contemnors.

     

    However, he did not pray the court to commit Ihedioha, Gana, Jibrin and George to prison, rather, he asked the court for an order restraining them from “proclaiming or otherwise holding out to the public that the 1st to 3rd  alleged contemnors are national  officers of the PDP for any purpose whatsoever.”

    Listed as defendants in the case are the PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Inspector-General of Police and the Department of State Services.

     

    The duo asked the court to stop Makarfi and his group from parading themselves as national officers of the party.

     

    They also asked the court to direct the IGP and the DSS to close down the factional secretariat being operated by the Makarfi group.

     

    Apart from that, they also asked the court not to transmit the records of the court proceedings to Markarfi and his group, saying they didn’t have the permission of the party to get it.

     

    Oladipo, who signed an affidavit in support of the claim, stated that on February 17, “soon after the judgment was delivered, the alleged contemnors proceeded to address the media and to comment negatively, contemptuously, disparagingly and contumeliously on the findings and order of the court set out above.”

     

    He added, “Rather than accept that the justice of the matter as determined by this honourable court was as expressed in the findings, holdings and order set out above, the 4th to 8th Alleged Contemnors made statements encouraging the 1st to 3rd respondents to defy the order of the court and flout the purpose of the court’s judgment delivered on the 17th of February 2017.”

     

    He said it was on this basis that the alleged contemnors placed notices in newspapers, where they convened a meeting of what they called “PDP stakeholders.”

     

    He stated, “The said meeting was held on Monday, February 20, and was attended by the 4th to 8th alleged contemnors, who made further statements encouraging the 1st to 3rd alleged contemnors to defy the holdings and order of the court.”

     

    The motion on notice for the committal of the alleged  contemnors was filed by eight lawyers, led by a former Minister of Justice, Akin Olujimi (SAN), who was joined by two other SANs – Dr. Alex Izinyon  and B. E. Nwofor – among others.

     

    The lawyers said, “The actions of the alleged contemnors, as shown in the affidavit in support of this application, have the effort of flouting the purpose of the judgment of this Honourable court, which purpose is to properly regulate the exercise of powers by the alleged contemnors against the applicants and 1st Respondent; avoid any further anarchy, lawlessness and deepening crisis capable of heating up the Nigerian polity; and establish the requirements of the rule of law and due process in the administration of justice.

     

    “Although the alleged contemnors were not parties to the action in court, it is our humble submission that they have a responsibility to ensure that they do not aid and abet the disobedience of the judgment order or treat the said judgment with disdain and disrespect.”

     

    Markarfi and the other faction of the party are believed to have filed an application seeking for stay of execution of the judgment and leave for appeal.

    No date has been fixed for the hearing of Sheriff’s case, which was filed on February 24, 2017.‎

  • ‘Nigerians are regretting voting PDP out of power’

    ‘Nigerians are regretting voting PDP out of power’

    The chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi has said that Nigerians have been regretting voting PDP out of power in the 2015 general elections.
    According to him, some Nigerians are already apologising for voting the party out, saying however that there have another opportunity to vote the PDP back in power in 2019.
    Makarfi who spoke at a party function in Abuja on Wednesday, said the PDP was in the process of rebranding and re-strategising ahead of 2019.
    He said: “We are reviewing and rebranding the party, it is only the judgment in Port Harcourt we are waiting for and we are praying for a fair judgment that will revive the hope of the people.
    “Justice should be done and seen to be done in a manner that the whole would will see that the judiciary is doing the right thing.
    “If you eliminate or encumber the opposition, nobody will be safe. It is for the interest of Nigeria that there is opposition.
    “Some people are already apologising for voting us out of office, but we are telling them to vote for us again.”
    He advised his fellow party members to criticise wisely and to also come up with alternative policy options. He warned party members against blackmail.
    Makarfi assured that the party will reconcile on a strong foundation, stressing that the PDP would avoid loopholes in its reconciliation drive.
    Earlier, Chairman of the party’s Strategy Committee, Prof. Jerry Gana, said the party had covered a lot of ground in resolving the leadership crisis in party.
    According to him, party members across the nation have given support to the caretaker committee, adding “We trust that very soon, judgment will be delivered and the party will move forward.