The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Sheriff

  • I won’t sacrifice my political interests for reconciliation – Sheriff

    I won’t sacrifice my political interests for reconciliation – Sheriff

    The disputed National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ali Modu Sheriff, vowed on Friday that he will not  sacrifice his integrity,  political interest and followers on the altar of reconciliation with the Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee.

    He also blamed former President Goodluck Jonathan for causing the party to lose the last elections in Yobe and Borno States to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The former Borno State governor insisted on the postponement of Wednesday’s national convention slated for Port Harcourt and the removal of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, as chairman of the convention committee.

    However, the chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibrin, told The Nation that the BoT was still awaiting the report of the reconciliation committee.

    “The committee members have been working day and night and they have met with the various stakeholders, including Ali Modu Sheriff. I cannot say much on this matter until I receive the committee’s report,” Jibrin said on phone.

    Sheriff confirmed meeting with the Prof. Jerry Gana-led reconciliation committee but said their talks are still ongoing.

    He was adamant on the postponement of the convention  and the removal of Wike as chairman of the committee.

    Besides, he asked for a definite role for himself in the planning of the convention at an appropriate time.

  • Sheriff wants PDP convention suspended

    Sheriff wants PDP convention suspended

    The Factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, has insisted that the party’s national convention slated for August 17 in Port Harcourt be put on hold.

    Sheriff also insisted that the venue of the proposed convention be shifted from Port Harcourt to Abuja at a yet to be agreed date.

    The ex Borno state governor has insisted on these demands since the date of the convention was announced.

    He tabled the demand at Tuesday night’s meeting with a reconciliatory team set up by the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT).

    The aggrieved Sheriff also demanded the removal of the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, as chairman of the convention planning committee.

    He also asked that the local government and ward congresses conducted under his watch but were later cancelled by the Ahmed Makarfi led caretaker committee be upheld.

    But the team, headed by a former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, could not agree with Sheriff’s demand and opted to take the message back to the BoT in council.

     

  • Iduoriyekwemwen is PDP candidate in Edo – Sheriff

    Iduoriyekwemwen is PDP candidate in Edo – Sheriff

    The factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, has insisted that Mr. Matthew Iduoriyekemwen is the party’s authentic candidate for the September 10 governorship election in Edo State.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has already approved the candidature of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu for the contest.

    Ise-Iyamu was presented by the Ahmed Makarfi led caretaker committee.

    Sheriff spoke in Abuja on Tuesday while receiving a delegation of party women from Edo State.

    The women thanked him for allowing Iduoriyekemwen to choose Mrs. Herberta Okonofua as his running mate.

    Sheriff told the women that a Federal High Court in Abuja had given him the go ahead to submit the names of the party’s governorship candidates for Edo and Ondo States.

    “The court also said that starting from the date of last convention, May 21, 2016 in Port Harcourt, any document signed by Senator Ahmed Makarfi is illegal, null and void.‎ So I don’t know why they are deceiving Nigerians,” Sheriff added.

  • PDP’s BoT moves to reconcile Sheriff, Makarfi camps

    PDP’s BoT moves to reconcile Sheriff, Makarfi camps

    In a last minute effort to save the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Board of Trustees (BoT) has set up a reconciliatory committee.

    The 18-member committee, chaired by a former Information Minister, Prof. Jerry Gana, is to reconcile the Ali Modu Sheriff camp with the Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee.

    Inaugurating the committee in Abuja yesterday, Chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin, said the trustees would not watch the party destroyed by the leadership crisis.

    He expressed dismay that there are about 15 court cases instituted by contending groups within the party.

    According to him, there is need for a politician solution to the crisis, stressing that allowing the cases to go on might leave the party in a permanent crisis.

    He appealed to litigants to withdraw their court cases and allow the reconciliation committee resolve the differences so that the August 17 convention would hold.

    Speaking shortly after the inauguration, Prof. Gana promised that the committee would be responsible and fair.

    He pleaded with the Sheriff camp to allow the committee resolve the crisis by making himself available for discussions, saying the party should go into the convention united.

    Other members of the committee included Alhaji Shuaibu Oyedokun, Senator Ibrahim Ida, Hajia Inna Ciroma, Senator Biodun Olujimi, Air Commodore Dan Suleiman (rtd) among others.

     

     

  • Sheriff writes INEC on PDP convention

    Sheriff writes INEC on PDP convention

    Factional National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff has written the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), seeking to stop the party’s national convention, scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt on August 17.

    Sheriff asked the commission to ignore a letter sent to it by Chairman of the party’s Caretaker Committee Senator Ahmed Makarfi, notifying INEC of the proposed convention.

    The August 2 letter, signed by Sheriff and faction National Secretary Wale Oladipo, said the Caretaker Committee is illegal and has no powers under the PDP constitution to convene the convention.

    It reads: “Kindly refer to a letter dated July 20, 2016, by the illegal PDP Caretaker Committee purported to notify INEC of proposed ward congresses to nominate three Ad-hoc delegates on August 10, 2016, and LGA congresses to nominate national delegates on August 12, 2016, for a repeat national convention, and a repeat national convention slated for August 17, 2016.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the only body that can call for and ratify activities culminating to a national convention of PDP, is the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), headed by Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, as national chairman.

    “The Senator Ali Modu Sheriff-led PDP is not planning any National Convention, as he has not been so authorised by the National Executive Committee of the PDP.

    “Any person or group of persons planning for an event is doing so as an illegal body and in direct contempt of valid court orders. This letter is to put you on notice to ignore any such notifications by the illegal Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee”.

    Makarfi, has, however, faulted Sheriff’s position.

    The Makarfi committee accused Sheriff and his group of attempts to scuttle the planned convention and also to destroy the party as well.

    The reaction, contained in a statement by the spokesperson of the caretaker committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, stated that the ruling by Justice Okon Abang which Sheriff relied on, was a mere narrative of the case pending before the Federal High Courts in the Lagos and Port Harcourt Divisions.

    Adeyeye said:“It (ruling) did not set aside or nullify the judgment of Justice Liman which has authenticated the May 21 National Convention and the resolutions emanating therefrom.

    “The said ruling did not anywhere direct INEC to do anything or not to do anything, to discharge or not to discharge any obligation; to perform any function or not to perform any function.

    “In essence, it is a mere legal tale and the Order having been made without any application before him by either of the parties has no foundation in law”.

  • Sheriff writes INEC on proposed PDP convention

    Sheriff writes INEC on proposed PDP convention

    The factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff, has written to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), seeking to stop the party’s national convention, slated for August 17 in Port Harcourt.

    Sheriff has asked the commission to completely ignore a letter sent to it by the chairman of the PDP caretaker committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, notifying the INEC of the proposed convention.

    Sheriff, in the letter dated August 2, 2016, said the caretaker committee was illegal and has no powers under the PDP constitution to convene the convention.

    Citing Article 31(2) (a) of the PDP Constitution, the former Borno State Governor told the INEC that only the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party could call for and ratify activities culminating in a convention.

    The letter further stated that the NEC is headed by Sheriff.

    He said INEC and the general public should note that the PDP is not planning to hold any convention, stressing that he had not been authorised by the NEC to do so.

    He warned that any person or group of persons planning for the said convention is doing so as an illegal body and in direct contempt of valid court orders.

     

  • Sheriff overrules PDP members’ suspension in Abia

    The Senator Ali Modu Sheriff-led People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday overturned the suspension of party members in Abia.

    A statement jointly released to journalists by Sheriff and his National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja.

    Sheriff described the suspension of Chidi Nwosu (Umuahia South) Emeka Ejiogu (Umuahia North) and Chukwuemeka Osoagbaka (Ikwuano) as a witch-hunt.

    ”The attention of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP has been drawn to the purported suspension of some of our party members by the Abia State Chapter,” the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted Sheriff as saying in the statement.

    ”The NWC frowns at a situation where party members are being victimised because of their loyalty to the leadership at the national level.

    ”It is important that all organs of the party must respect party members’ wish to associate with other members irrespective of various affiliations.

    ”The crisis going on in the party is an internal matter and is in the process of resolution.

    “It is worthy to note that party members in Abia have not committed any anti-party activity.

    ”In the light of this, the NWC hereby directs the Abia State chapter to immediately rescind the purported suspensions and show, within 48 hours, evidence of its compliance to the NWC.

    ”Failure to comply will attract stiff sanctions in accordance with the constitution of the PDP.”

  • PDP CRISIS: MIMIKO IN SECRET TALKS WITH SHERIFF

    PDP CRISIS: MIMIKO IN SECRET TALKS WITH SHERIFF

    • Governors split again
    • Sheriff calls stakeholders meeting this week

    Fear-stricken  governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are beginning to worm back to Senator  Ali Modu Sheriff after a Federal High Court on Thursday declared him the authentic chairman of the party.

    Hours after the court’s ruling, Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State held a secret meeting with Sheriff in Abuja, although some other PDP governors remain opposed to Sheriff leading the party.

    Some members of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the PDP have also made a U- turn to woo Sheriff who is said to be disposed to convening a stakeholders meeting later this week.

    The Nation gathered that  Governor Mimiko met with Sheriff on Thursday night in Abuja as part of the effort to “move the party forward.”

    Sources said Mimiko’s action was predicated on the fact that he needed Sheriff, who has been recognized by the court as the authentic chair of the party, to push the candidature of his (Mimiko’s) choice, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) for the state governorship election later in the year.

    Mimiko, sources said, pledged loyalty to Sheriff, but canvassed reconciliation in the party.

    A top source said, “The meeting was a follow up to the decision of the court that Sheriff is the authentic chairman of the party.

    “It was secret but fruitful. Don’t forget that Mimiko is also the outgoing chairman of the PDP Governors Forum.

    “In all honesty, the governor also spoke on how to keep the party united.”

    Responding to a question, the source said: “Mimiko actually said he will abide by the Rule of Law on the crisis in the party.

    “You know Ondo chapter of the PDP will soon hold its governorship primaries. He does not want the crisis in the party to have spiral effect on the choice of candidate in Ondo as the case with Edo State.”

    A separate source said PDP governors have broken into two camps on account of the court ruling.

    Queuing behind Sheriff are the governors of Taraba, Gombe, Enugu, Cross River, and Ondo.

    Those against are those of Rivers, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Delta, Abia, Akwa Ibom

    The governor of Bayelsa State, Henry Seriake Dickson, has thrown himself into the job of reconciling the two factions.

    A party stalwart said: “We are experiencing a division among our governors because of the ruling of the court. Some are insisting that the party should abide by the rule of law and engage Sheriff.

    “Some of the governors said the party should save itself from Sheriff by going through the legal battle from the lower court to the Supreme Court.

    “But Governor Dickson is preaching dialogue and reconciliation to both sides because the time element is important for PDP. We need to put our house in order before the 2019 poll.

    “If Sheriff sticks to his mandate till 2018, we will be divided and shall remain unprepared for the next election. Alternatively, most of our leaders will leave the party.

    “Even members of the BOT, who should resolve the crisis, have broken into camps. Some BOT members are now with Sheriff.”

    There were indications last night that Sheriff might convene a stakeholders meeting this week with a view to reconciling with all those opposed to him.

    Another party leader said: “Sheriff is already waving the olive branch. He will call a stakeholders meeting next (this) week to reunite the leaders of the party.”

    Justice Okon Abang on Thursday declared Sheriff as the authentic National Chairman of PDP.

    He declared the judgment of the Port-Harcourt division which recognised the Makarfi-led caretaker committee as “unlawful, illegal and without foundation in law to stand.”

    He said: “The Makarfi-led caretaker committee, as an apostle of impunity missed their way to Port Harcourt to get a judgment; that judgment cannot stand.

    “The Port Harcourt Division of the Federal High Court cannot make an order to neutralise the effectiveness and potency of orders of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court.

    “As at the time the Makarfi-led committed found their way to the Port Harcourt Division of the Federal High Court, the or­ders of the Lagos division of the court was still subsisting.

    “The Port Harcourt Division of the Federal High Court therefore has no business to have dabbled into the issues of PDP leadership in the light of the subsisting orders issued in Lagos by a court of competent jurisdiction.”

     

  • Sheriff hails Abuja court’s ruling

    The disputed Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ali Modu Sheriff, on Friday commended the Justice Okon Abang’s judgment nullifying a Port Harcourt ruling that recognised the party’s caretaker committee.

    Sheriff told journalists in Abuja that he got an order stopping the party’s national convention slated for August 17.

    ‎Commending the ruling, Sheriff said the order issued by Justice Abang was a demonstration that some fine judges exist in Nigeria.

    He also called on the Nigeria Judicial Council (NJC) to remove the few erring judges ‎”tarnishing the image of the judiciary.”

    ‎Sheriff said the ruling of the court had boosted his desire to wipe out impunity even as he announced his readiness to take the PDP to its original owners at the grass roots level, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    The ex- Borno State governor also disclosed that he would convene an expanded caucus meeting of the PDP comprising the Board of Trustees, National Assembly Caucus and state chairmen to chart the next line of action.

    However, the caretaker committee had said the court ruling was misinterpreted as it did not set aside the Port Harcourt ruling that instituted the committee.

  • Count me out of attempt to stop PDP convention – Metuh

    Count me out of attempt to stop PDP convention – Metuh

    The immediate past National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, has dissociated himself from a suit seeking to stop the party’s national convention billed to hold in Port Harcourt on August 17.

    Metuh’s name had featured as one of the plaintiffs in the suit, which was filed by the camp of the party’s ousted National Chairman, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff and others at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday.

    In a statement issued by his Media Assistant, Mr. Richard Ihediwa on Thursday, Metuh said he was not a party to the suit neither did he instruct anyone to fill same on his behalf.

    The statement said, “Chief Metuh wishes to inform the general public that he is not part of the suit seeking to stop the convention and he never instructed anyone to file any such suit on his behalf.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, Chief Metuh has taken the pains to consult those that went to court and has been reliably informed that his name was listed in error and which they have promised to rectify accordingly.

    “It is pertinent to mention that Chief Metuh has not attended any political meeting and/or programme since his chair accident at a function at the party’s National Secretariat in April wherein he aggravated his spinal cord ailment.

    “Our appeal therefore is that Chief Metuh at this time should be left out of intra-party controversies. His only preoccupation now remains matters concerning his health and the extant court trial.”

    Metuh, who is currently on bail, is facing trial over N400 million slush arms purchase cash which he allegedly collected from the embattled former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd).