Former Military Administrator of Katsina State, Senator Joseph Akaagerger, has said Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff ought to be given due recognition as the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in any gathering of party members.
Akaagerger made the statement against the backdrop of the peace meeting organised by former President Goodluck Jonathan, where Sheriff walked out because he was not allowed to address the members in his capacity as the national chairman.
Sheriff, who walked out of the meeting with his National Working Committee (NWC) members, said: âWe are here for PDP stakeholders meeting and the PDP has only one national chairman, which is Ali Modu Sheriff. There is no PDP meeting that will take place under whatever arrangement that I will not open the session as national chairman. Today, Iâm the most senior member of this party.â
Akaagerger, a loyalist of Sheriff from Benue State, wondered why people were not talking about the refusal to duly recognise the national chairman at the meeting, but only focusing on his walk-out.
The ex-Benue North East Senator said: âOur focus rather ought to be directed to the failure to accord Senator Sheriff due recognition as National Chairman of the PDP rather than emphasizing the event of his leaving the meeting. The meeting was widely advertised as a PDP political meeting. It is out of order and indecorous to preclude the national chairman from addressing the meeting.
He added: âSenator Sheriff had demonstrated transparent respect by travelling from Europe in response to former President Jonathanâs invitation to attend the political meeting only to be denied the right to address party members. In which circumstance the only irresistible conclusion is that it was no longer a political party meeting. Otherwise sheriff would have a right of address and audience. If it is no longer a political party meeting, what business does the national chairman have to do with a directionless assembly?â
Tag: Sheriff
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Sheriff is PDP chairman, says Akaagerger
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PDP crisis: Sheriff walks out on Jonathan, governors, others
Ongoing efforts to find political solution to the festering leadership crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) suffered a huge setback on Thursday.
The court backed National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff, stormed out of a peace meeting convened by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The meeting which was chaired by Jonathan, had about four PDP governors in attendance, including the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibrin and other notable chieftains.
Sheriff, who came into the Yar ‘Adua Centre venue of the meeting long after Jonathan, the governors and other prominent party chiefs had taken their seats, stormed out of the meeting at 4:25 p.m.
The party chairman disagreed with Jonathan on the meeting, saying he (Sheriff) remained the most senior member of the PDP and as such, a meeting of that nature ought to have been convened by him.
The visibly agitated Sheriff was more piqued by Jonathanâs refusal to allow him address the meeting in his capacity as the national chairman of the party.
According to him, the meeting was at variance with the recommendations made by a reconciliation committee, headed by the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson.
Speaking with journalists shortly after he stormed out the meeting with his team, Sheriff said he would not be party to any arrangement that seemed to deviate from the recommendation of the Dickson committee.
He said, “We were here for PDP stakeholdersâ meeting and the PDP has only one national chairman, which is Ali Modu-Sheriff. There is no PDP meeting that will take place under whatever arrangement that I will not open the session as national chairman. Today, I am the most senior member of this party.
“I think Governor Dickson made a proposal for reconciliation. And we have accepted. Some people want to deviate from this programme, to bring agenda which was not part of it.
“And as national chairman of the party, what I have told you people in my office when Dickson brought the report is the only thing that we have agreed at this moment. And I will not be party for anybody using me to do another programme. I’m not going to be part of it.â
Asked if he had not disrespected Jonathan by storming out of the meeting, Sheriff said he respects the former President but that respect must be reciprocal.
According to him, Jonathan should not have called the meeting without consulting him.
He added: “Well, I respect him but calling for the meeting. He was a former President. But as of today, I am the most senior member of the party.
“Therefore if I respect him, the respect must be reciprocated. You can’t call me for a meeting of PDP and say I cannot address the meeting as national chairman of the party.â
Asked on the way forward, Sheriff said he was sticking with the Dickson recommendation, which proposed a national convention under his watch.
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PDP crisis: Sheriff, Makarfi bicker over attempts to sack secretariat workers
The Ali Modu Sheriff and Ahmed Makarfi factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are locked in a fresh face-off, this time over the planned recruitment of staff for the party by the Sheriff faction.
The Makari camp is resisting the planned recruitment.
All the staff at the PDP national secretariat are refusing to work with Sheriff.
They have rebuffed all overtures from the faction to return to work, preferring to work for the Makarfi camp.
Consequently, the Sheriff faction recently invited applications from interested Nigerians to come and fill vacant administrative positions at the partyâs national secretariat.
Makarfi has protested that the move negates the agreement brokered between the two camps on Thursday by Governor Seriake Dickson.
However, in a telephone chat with our correspondent yesterday, Sheriffâs deputy, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh said the said recruitment exercise has nothing to do with the peace deal.
He said: âThe people employed at the secretariat staff have since left the party.
âWe did not sack them. Rather they, on their own, went on AWOL (Absence Without Official Leave).
âWe have asked them to resume duties but they have refused. They said they are waiting for the judgment of the Supreme Court but we cannot continue to wait for them.
âThey have become a clog in the wheel of progress of the party.
âWe are going ahead to replace them. Makarfi should respect himself and stay out of this because it has nothing to do with him.
âWe are the ones running the party and they are supposed to be there as employees of the party. The recruitment exercise does not in any way affect the peace deal brokered by Governor Dickson.â
But in a swift reaction, the spokesman for the Caretaker Committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, who also spoke with our correspondent on telephone, said the move constituted a breach of the peace agreement.
According to him, the staff have been working with the Caretaker Committee and will continue to do so until the Supreme Court makes a final pronouncement on the leadership of the party.
He warned Sheriff against heightening tension in the party, adding that one of the major planks of the political solution to the crisis was to maintain the status quo in respect of the secretariat staff.
Adeyeye said, âThe staff are working with us in line with the deal brokered by Governor Dickson and nobody can replace them.
âWe are all waiting for the outcome of the Supreme Court on the matter because they were working with us before the February 17 judgement of the Appeal Court.
âWhy should they go and work with Sheriff while the case is still pending before the Supreme Court? If you are looking for political solution, then you should not heighten tension.
âThe right thing to do while looking for political solution is to maintain the status quo. You donât go out heightening tension when you are seeking political solution.
âSheriff and his group must keep to the terms of the agreement for peace to reign because we are going to resist any attempt to victimise the workersâ.
Adeyeye had, in a statement on Friday, that there is no accord in place between the Makarfi faction and the Sheriff camp.
He said 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 âpolitical solutionâ is not true, stressing that they only agreed before the Governor Dicksonâs reconciliation committee to âstop further media attacks on officers, elders and other stakeholders of the PDP across the internal political divide.â
He added: âFor the record, the agreement was not a political solution but rather an understanding reached urging representatives of âthe key actorsâ 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.
âThe 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.â
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.
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Sheriff, Makarfi agree to halt media war
The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff and the partyâs Caretaker Committee chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, have agreed to halt their bitter media war.
This followed the intervention of the Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson who brought the warring factions to the conference table yesterday.
Dickson, who chairs the partyâs reconciliation committee, met with the two factions at his private residence in Maitama, Abuja, where the deal was consummated.
However, Sheriff and Makarfi were not present at the meeting. They were represented.
Prince Dayo Adeyeye led the Makarfi team; Dr. Cairo Ojougboh stood in for Sheriff.
A four-point agreement signed by Dickson and the parties directed the factions to halt the media war and verbal attacks that have been ongoing for about a year.
The four-point resolution reads: âThat all actors of the parties should desist from making derogatory, inflammatory and divisive statements against party officials, stakeholders and members.
âThat the party should not dissipate her energy amongst itself but to focus on how to unite and be a formidable opposition capable of taking over power from the failed APC led government.
âThat all key actors in the on-going peace process should henceforth desist from making public press statements attacking each other and statements insinuating negative acts capable of dragging the party to the mud.
âIn conclusion, all key actors in the PDP have agreed to work together with National Reconciliation Committee led by Governor Seriake Dickson to engender peace and genuine reconciliationâ.
Dickson and his committee  later met with the partyâs Board of Trustees and submitted a copy of the four-point resolution to the Chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin
Also speaking on the matter, Jibrin, who hailed Dickson for his role in bringing peace to the troubled party, enjoined parties in the dispute to sheath their swords.
But, before the peace parley, Makarfiâs faction said yesterday there was no vacancy at the PDP National Secretariat, Abuja.
Makari stated this in a statement by his committeeâs Publicity Secretary in Abuja.
He said the attention of the caretaker committee had been drawn to some newspaper publication, titled: âVacancies in the PDP National Secretariatââ.
He said the report was credited to Prof. Wale Oladipo, National Secretary to Ali Modu Sheriffâs faction, who advertised for various offices in the PDP secretariat, declaring them vacant.
He said Oladipo was ignorant of the position of the recent Appeal Court judgment of February 17, which ordered PDP to revert to the status quo before May 21, 2016.
He described the publication as a ploy by Sheriff and his âcohortsââ to disengage the establishment staff of the party for acting in line with their constitutional mandate and convictions.
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Sheriff, Makarfi agree to halt ‘media war’
The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff and the party’s Caretaker Committee chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, have agreed to halt their bitter media war.
This followed the intervention of the Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, who brought the warring factions to the conference table on Thursday.
Dickson, who is the chairman of the party’s reconciliation committee, met with the two factions at his private residence in Maitama, Abuja, where the deal was consummated.
However, both Sheriff and Makarfi were not physically present at the meeting.
They were both represented by members of their teams.
Prince Dayo Adeyeye led the Makarfi team, while Dr. Cairo Ojougboh stood in for Sheriff.
A four-point agreement signed by Dickson and the parties directed the factions to halt the media war and verbal attacks that have been ongoing for about a year.
The resolutions are:
- That all actors of the parties should desist from making derogatory, inflammatory and divisive statements against party officials, stakeholders and members.
- That the party should not dissipate energy amongst itself but to focus on how to unite and be a formidable opposition capable of taking over power from the APC led government.
- That all key actors in the ongoing peace process should henceforth desist from making public press statements attacking each other and statements insinuating negative acts capable of dragging the party to the mud.
- In conclusion, all key actors in the PDP have agreed to work together with National Reconciliation Committee led by Governor Seriake Dickson to engender peace and genuine reconciliation.
Dickson and his committee members later met with the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) where a copy of the four-point resolution was submitted to the chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin
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Dickson: Iâm no tool in Sheriffâs hand
The lingering crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has overstretched the stakeholders. The burden of finding solutions lies with the National Reconciliation Committee headed by Bayelsa State Governor Henry Seriake Dickson. In this interview with reporters in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dickson speaks on the new template designed by his committee. YUSUF ALLI reports the encounter with the arbiter.Â
How far have you gone in finding solutions to the crisis in the PDP?
Essentially, it is a self-inflicted crisis in the sense that everybody was told or warned. My position was very clear when people were bringing Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff. I never supported it, I have never been a fan of Modu Sheriff for any personal reason. There are a lot of reasons.
My position was that the party after the unprecedented loss of presidential power and losing control in so many states needed a fresh start, and a new beginning. I thought we should have that opportunity to clean up the party, bring fresh faces for Nigerians to see and then formulate a fresh message and formulate new system of engaging the Nigerian people as opposed to the old PDP ways of doing things. I was a minority voice in the PDP Governors Forum. We were then 12 and the chairman came to regret why my position was not supported. I mean the out gone Governor Olusegun Mimiko, who was completely messed up because of the crisis.
My position is we got to move forward. When I didnât support Sheriff, there was nobody he didnât send to talk to me but I am a politician of conviction, I am not a politician of convenience, I am not a typical Nigerian politician. I made my views known to him directly even before telling others. He was my guest in Yenagoa at my inauguration after some of my colleagues had already concluded on his choice and informed me. And right there in Yenagoa as my guest I told him no. And when we came back I told my other colleagues and I gave reasons. Well, that did not stop him from coming here to engage me from time to time and so on.
I had to intervene to broker peace for three (3) months tenure for him when he was eventually made the national chairman and crisis erupted. I spent three (3)weeks in Abuja talking to key stakeholders, making a case to prevent a division of the party. And because of those interventions we then all agreed to give him a three-month period of grace within which to conduct a convention and leave.
Towards the conclusion of the three months, the people who brought him again went and encourage him to re-contest that nothing will happen. They were more interested in being in control of a national chairman than in the structures of the party or in rebuilding the party for whatever reasons.
They planned, did all kind of things in our back, undermined the governors forum. The chairman of the forum didnât know what they were doing, I too didnât know what they were doing. All those who were not in support were cut off and they went and zoned things directly to him and again organized another convention.
Could this be true?
All these characters that are blackmailing Sheriff now, that are saying no to Sheriff, were all those who went to Port Harcourt twice to elect Sheriff and I stayed away. And like I said, I take my political belief very seriously and they are not for sale and that was the situation. The conventions were inconclusive especially the first. And we have to come up with a novel concept known as the national caretaker committee and we went to court in Port Harcourt.
The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt validated the appointment of Makarfi and the caretaker team and it was based on that validation that Makarfi was in a position to now act to lead the party, even though Sheriff and others were questioning the validity.
Sheriff and others went to the Court of Appeal, Sheriff and we thought we were going to have judgment at the court. I and every other person, majority of us of about 70-80% of members of the party have been with Makarfi. I was part of the convention that made Makarfi and since then weâve been mobilizing support for Makarfi. In fact, Makarfi appointed me to chair the congresses in Ondo State. We have been supporting the Makarfi group because of the essential opposition to Sheriff.
So, what happened?
Why that matter was pending at the Court of Appeal, different stakeholders had brokered different meetings. Gen. Aliyu Gusau led one team and brokered an agreement by which he told both of them and their teams to resign. Sheriff said bring the paper I will sign and resign but I wonât leave Makarfi behind because of my honour. Makarfi said he will not resign. So that settlement also collapsed.
I have been interfacing discretely with teams on both sides even though I am essentially Makarfi. But because of the nature of my work, I have interacted with many leaders across the length and breadth of our country and I thanked them for the confidence they have in me and I also have confidence, respect and love for them too.
I have also tried several times having a joint meeting with some people in Makarfi group and some people in Sheriff group to see how all can resign or at the very worst co-chair a national convention or a unity convention but all these were to no avail. And now we were sure that the Court of Appeal was going to give us judgment in Port Harcourt.
Let me also add that I believe that the national convention of a political party as the supreme organ of the party has the capacity to sack everybody and take decisions that will re-position the party, which was what we attempted to do in Port Harcourt. But we are not the court; we have to respect the judiciary. As democrats and as politicians, people who derive our legitimacy from our constitution our first duty is to respect the laws and the institutions of democracy.
Is this what informed your new disposition to PDP crisis?
The Court of Appeal against our expectations proclaimed Sheriff as the national chairman of the party, which means, whether we like it or not in the eyes of the law and in fact from that day of pronouncement, Makarfi and his caretaker team ceased to have legal authority to conduct PDP business any more. Whether we like it or not from that day Sheriff is the only one that can do so.
As we speak since that day Sheriff has been acting, not only is he at the national secretariat, he is the one sending names of candidates in states that are doing elections even as we speak. If there were to be a bye-election in Kaduna, Makarfi State, Makarfi today is not in the position to send a name to INEC to accept. That is the political reality that everybody in the PDP needs to accept, whether you like Sheriffâs face or not. I donât also support Sheriff and what he has done but I acknowledge that reality.
The reconciliation committee which I have chaired for quite some time met to review our position in the light of the Court of Appeal judgment and we said look, let us formulate a realistic, practical and strategic response to that reality because in the end is it only about strategy. Yes we said you can go on appeal but without prejudice to the Supreme Court case let us intensify and even fast track the peace moves.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan also intervened. He called all the governors and we had a meeting and some of us spoke in support of a political solution. We resolved that we should adopt a political solution but political solution is vague. There must be templates to discuss; there must be proposals to criticize; for people to make input and for responsibility to be assigned and time frame perhaps given.
Are you recommending this same attitude to PDP?
And I feel at this particular stage of the crisis in the PDP, the party has suffered enough hemorrhage. Prominent members, key leaders, elected officials are decamping by attributing it to the crisis. Leaders of the party must make sacrifices now, those who are in the position to intervene must intervene now and others who can make sacrifices must make it now so that we can move the peace process forward.
I heard some people say over their dead body that it cannot be this particular person as national chairman. That is not the language of politics, that is the language of war and we are not in politics to kill or injure one another particularly in the same political party.
So, I feel that the template that was generated can be improved upon; after all , three days ago, the northern caucus of the party met and expanded the template to say okay let all these people meet and more, about 150 or so even if we are 200. Let some leaders be selected and we should lock up ourselves in a room and discuss and move forward; that is the attitude that we want to promote. So that is where we are.
Unfortunately, Makarfi and those behind him have been sponsoring very vicious attacks against my person. Everyone knows that I am not a Sheriff man and all of them who are attacking me for submitting a report to Sheriff are the same people who brought Sheriff and who supported him.
Can you tell us about this template you talked about. What exactly are you proposing?
The template we are proposing is a template that will lead to a negotiated National Unity convention because the inability to hold a unity convention or a successful convention at all is at the heart of the crisis in PDP. And that was why when that failed to happened we appointed Makarfi caretaker, to midwife another convention, the second one too failed.
And in that convention we are proposing and this is where the template comes in. We want a situation where, since Sheriff after the Court of Appeal judgment has said he will be prepared for quick national convention, we will hold a unity convention. We thought Sheriffâs position was a victory for PDP. He has also said he will not contest at that convention that is victory for the PDP. But the challenge however is that a number of people said they cannot trust him. Well, I said that is valid but all you need to do is to engage more and ring fence the convention, how? This is when the template comes in.
This convention committee should not be done like the other one. Our template says that people to be nominated should from the key institutions or organs of the party. And by the way, all these key institutions are with Makarfi not Sheriff which is why I cannot understand what Makarfiâs problem is unless he sees himself and his role as either that of, not of a caretaker but a landlord or even an undertaker of PDP.
Are you not back to square one since Sheriff accepted the template but Makarfi rejected it; you are consulting with leaders, what is the way out because there is stillâŚ.
Sheriff is writing to the organs. The organs are not really Makarfi. Makarfi is a former senator and a former governor. So, at least he is a member of the Governors Forum. So, Makarfi really does not determine whether we move forward, it would be nice to have his cooperation. And I think actually he should join me to lead this effort. It would be nice to do that.
So you are going ahead without Makarfi?
We are consulting and in the next couple of days and weeks it would be very clear. But let me also say there are issues before you have a convention, there are crisis, some developments in states and some zones; so what we expect is that various teams will go and resolve some of those issues before we move to the stage of the convention.
In all these, are you taking cognizance of the decision of the Supreme Court?
No, the Supreme Court will not rock the boat. What I and Makarfi are doing, what my committee is doing is that this template and this peace move is without prejudice to the Supreme Court.
We are in the Makarfi group. We are not Sheriff. We said let us wait for the decision. But, if the Supreme Court decides earlier, if it is Makarfi that wins, we will still do a convention, if it is Sheriff we will still do a convention. If we push this convention idea fast enough then it will take care of Supreme Court case, so we lose nothing.
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Sheriff working for APC, says Makarfi
The National Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi, in this interview with reporters in Kaduna, the Kaduna State capital, speaks on why the committee rejected the report of the Reconciliation Committee headed by Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson. ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE was there.
Why did the PDP National Caretaker Committee headed by you reject the report of the Reconciliation Committee headed by Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson?
Well, I am as confused and perplexed like the majority of the PDP members, because His Excellency, Governor Seriaki Dickson will be in the best position to know why what happened happened. I would be wrong to outrightly say he has ulterior motive, maybe, exuberance on his side. Whatever it is, I donât know, but I want to remind people that this peace issue has been on for a long time. General Ali Gusau had hosted several meetings to achieve political solution. One of the highlights then, which was suggested was that, both Ali Modu Sheriff and I should go. I opined that, the problem was not just Ali Modu Sheriff and I. There are other party issues. So, for us to clear the field once and for all. I opined that, if people are to go, it must be comprehensive, not just the two of us. And my fear was when the Court of Appeal made its pronouncement that, the status quo before 21st May should be reverted to, which confirmed all fears at that time. And status quo means that, all national officers of the party, not just working committee, should return to their seats. Any political solution that is not all-encompassing will still not solve the problem, because the problem of tenure will still be there, which the Court of Appeal has recognised.
Do you think Governor Dickson is up to something?
I donât know what he is up to, but it is unfortunate. During his Ă˝interview on AIT, he said that we are ineffective and not giving a sense of direction, and not even taking on government. Our spokesman has been up and. I too when necessary, have spoken severally. Besides that, I donât think you can work with nothing. You must be enabled to work, and it is on record that he has not contributed 10 percent of what his colleagues have contributed for us to work. If you as governor has not contributed 10 percent of what your colleagues have contributed for the party to work, he cannot turn round and accuse the party of being ineffective. The question is that were you effective yourself. So, if Governor Dickson is up to something, I really donât know.
How do you see the fact that former President Goodluck Jonathan has not adequately reacted to this scenario created by Governor Dickson?
Well, as former President, he should not just be reacting every now and then. I tell you even this afternoon, I spoke with him, and he has not given up, and he cannot be like some other people. I will speak to him and I will come out and  start saying what we spoke about, or what happened bla…bla…bla. But if everybody is concerned, I know what we discussed. It is not anything negative for the party, we know where we are heading, and we just keep ourselves for questions for where we are heading.
But, not too long ago, Governor Dickson said he acted based on Court of Appeal judgment, which recognised Modu Sherrif as Chairman…
It is not a final court. It is like a challenge cup final. In the first half, it is one-one, then you hand over the cup to one team, does that happen, does it make sense. We are in first half, and it is one-one draw, we won at lower court, and letâs assume they won at the Court of Appeal, we are now going to the second half where it must be settled one way or the other. Do you come and declare a winner at this stage, even if you are looking at it legally, and he is a lawyer. Does it make sense?
Are you foreseeing some things happening?
Well, people should make up their minds. The facts are there. We are at the Supreme Court. We have done all that is expected of us in filling everything that we need to file. Hopefully, the case may start any time from now. Do you declare a winner at this stage? Even legally, you cannot. Even, looking at the legal issue, no matter the outcome of the Supreme Court, reconciliation must take place, but you donât say it that it is all over just because of Court of Appeal judgment; it is not the final court of adjudication on this matter.
Looking at the political solution…
Let me get back to that. As I said earlier, if you acted based on the Court of Appeal pronouncement, from my own understanding, in the Court of Appeal, there is status quo ante before 21st May, which should be reverted. That has not been reverted to by Modu Sherriff. He is still working with his personally appointed so called national officers. Is that his status quo before 21st May? And if he acted in accordance, as I said earlier, the Court of Appeal pronounced that there is a court order that three national officers, their tenure will expire in August, and 18 others in June or July next year. So, why is he recommending convention in June? Is that in tune with what Court of Appeal pronouncement? What sense does that make. It is in complete contradiction with the pronouncement of the Court of Appeal, which is even on appeal itself.
Do you really think the party can attain political solution to this crisis in ýthe nearest future?
I am just being pragmatic, I am just being a realist. I said that I donât foresee the APC or the PDP remaining in the form they are by the next election. I donât, as a political realist. I also heard Governor Dickson talked of some peopleâs plan for a new arrangement, new party and he is against that. That is his own personal opinion. He has to gauge opinion of others, you can agree to an issue, and you may not agree to a particular issue, at the end of the day, the view of majority will prevail. So, those who descent, may either change or find something else to do. Be that as it may, I had said it repeatedly that as Caretaker committee, we have no personal agenda to sell. We are purely implementers of decisions of the majority of our party. If they say we should go left, we go left. If they say we should right, we go right. If they say we should stand where we are, we stand where we are.
The National Caretaker Committee has majority support of party members. But, why has Sheriff not bowed to the majority?
Well, it is because he is not acting alone. I have said it repeatedlyý that there are strong elements in the APC government that for their own benefits, are giving him cover and strength to do what he is doing. But, I have also made it clear that I have not seen any evident that the Federal Government sat down and took this as a policy to dismantle the PDP. But, what we know as politicians is that the APC is also divided into groups, they are the over ambitious group in APC, whose plan even for their party is not palatable. They want to over throw everybody there, but they know that after over throwing everybody there. If they leave us in peace, they will not go anywhere, so, they are playing dual games side by side to over throw who they want to over throw in the APC, and also to bring divisions and disarray in our party. This we know, and as politicians, we must have all options open, these options we are talking about is that whatever may happen, we must have a strong and virile opposition party, and we are not resting on our oars to see that this is done. I will not tell you what we are doing or what we are not going to do. But, it is not an option to wind up opposition party in Nigeria in one form or the other. It will grow, it will be strong, and it will serve the purposes of being an opposition party, a clean opposition party for that matter.
Why do you think Sherrif should allow himself to be used for the APC agenda as a member of your own party?
Ah! When the PDP was in government at the centre, Modu Sherriff was not in the PDP, but he was working for us, that is his stock in trade, and Leopard does not change his spots.
Some schools of thought believe that Sherriff is doing what he is doing because he sees you as a big time rival in presidential contest should you decide to run in 2019. How do you react to this?
You see, I was ready to go in August 2016,  if our convention had not been disrupted, elective convention. If it was not disrupted, I would have since handed over. So, how does that fall in line with somebody who wants something to actualise a perceived political agenda? If the Supreme Court should affirm the validity of the convention within a very short period of time, we call for convention and national officers will be elected and I go. So, what is the big deal? I am not the one that has been disrupting the convention; they are the one who have been disrupting the convention, stopping convention from taking place, and power transiting from caretaker committee to elected national leaders. So, that is completely false. And if we said that we bought into the proposal made by President Goodluck Jonathan and all the governors, how does that fall in line with the perceived personal agenda? But, what he is thinking too is that he must be the one to do convention. Why is he insisting that he must be the one to do convention, except if he has a personal agenda that he wants to carry through. But, that is not what I am saying, so compare and contrast.
Does it have anything to do with your future political ambition?
How can it be, when we said that we accepted the proposal of the governors with President Goodluck Jonathan, which means that technically, neither Sherriff nor myself should conduct the convention, thereby creating, level playing field. But, that is what he is resisting, that he has to be the one. Why are you saying that you must be the one? They say if you have something, you know how to set out an agenda.
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PDP crisis: Supreme Court to hears conflicting motions by Sheriff, Makarfi
The Supreme Court will on Thursday hear two conflicting motions from warring factions in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Ahmed Makarfi-led faction has filed a motion seeking accelerated hearing of the appeal it filed on February 27 against the February 17 judgement of the Appeal Court, Port-Harcourt division, upholding the Ali Modu Sheriff-led committee as the authentic leadership organ of the party.
On its part, the Sheriff faction has filed three processes including a motion and a “Form 19” for the discontinuance of the appeal, and a motion urging the court to strike out the appeal.
The Makarfi faction, in its motion, wants the court to depart from its rules, abridge the time for the hearing of the appeal and allow accelerated hearing from the appeal.
The group said it has compiled record of proceedings at the lower court and had it transmitted to the Supreme Court within a week.
The Makarfi faction said it has also ensured that the appeal is entered in Supreme Court’s list and a number issued. The appeal is numbered: SC.133/2017.
On its part, the Sheriff faction, in an affidavit supporting its motion for striking out the appeal, stated since it has applied to withdraw the appeal, being the authentic leaders of the party, the proper order to be made by the court was to strike it out.
PDP’s Acting National Legal Adviser, Bashir Maidugu (belonging to the Sheriff faction), said the PDP did not authorise the appeal.
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Makarfi accuses Sheriff of plotting to hijack PDP for 2019 presidential bid
â˘Factions trade words over alleged moves to influence Supreme Court
THE Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has warned that the partyâs court-backed National Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff, cannot be trusted to conduct a convention for the PDP.
At a news conference in Abuja yesterday, spokesman for the Makarfi camp, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, said if allowed to conduct the convention, Sheriff would plant his cronies in strategic positions for his selfish end.
According to him, the team of officers to be so planted by Sheriff would ensure they rubber-stamped his candidacy for the partyâs 2019 presidential ticket.
At a media briefing on Monday, Sheriff in response to a question about his presidential ambition stated that he would leave his presidential ambition to God to decide.
Adeyeye said: âWe have seen the handwriting on the wall. What Sheriff is doing is geared towards one goal; and that is to hijack the presidential ticket of the PDP come 2019.
âThe former Borno State governor has clearly stated that he is interested in contesting the 2019 presidential election using the platform of our party, the PDP.
âWe said it earlier, but most non-party members, as well as some members of the party, who could not see beyond the curtains, didnât believe it.
âBut we were sure that Senator Sheriff was holding the party to ransom because he wants to hijack the party and use it for his selfish interest.â
According to Makarfi, with Sheriff as a presidential candidate of any party, the 2019 elections would be a mere walk-over for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
âHaving Sheriff as presidential candidate would be a death sentence for the PDP,â Adeyeye said.
The two camps traded words yesterday over alleged moves to influence the outcome of the appeal filed at the Supreme Court by the Makarfi camp.
Addressing reporters earlier, Sheriffâs deputy, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, accused the Makarfi camp of making clandestine moves to influence the case.
Referring to the Makarfi camp, Ojougboh said: âIt is worthy of note today that the same groups of impunity have now resorted to boasting that they are in control of the Supreme Court and that the judgment rejected by the Court of Appeal will be adopted by the Supreme Court.
âThis same judgment that they paraded as the Court of Appeal judgment is what they have now claimed that the Supreme Court will uphold for them.
âWe make bold to say nobody can buy the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court cannot be bought, and that the party has implicit confidence in the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Samuel Walter Onnoghen and his colleagues in the Supreme Court.
âWe therefore, advise Sen. Makarfi and his co travellers that their wishful judgment which they are parading will remain in the thrash can while the party is moving forward and preparing for its national conventionâ.
But the Makarfi camp retorted that blackmailing judicial officers is the pastime of Sheriff and his group.
It said it was the same way the ex-Borno State governor and his group blackmailed members of panels of the Court of Appeal before the February 17 judgment of the appellate court. -
Why Sheriff cannot be trusted with PDP convention – Makarfi
The Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has warned that the party’s court backed National Chairman, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff, cannot be trusted to conduct convention for the party.
At a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday, spokesman for the Makarfi camp, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, said if allowed to conduct the convention, Sheriff would plant his cronies in strategic positions for his selfish ends.
According to him, the team of officers to be so planted by Sheriff would ensure that they rubber-stamp his candidacy for the party’s 2019 presidential ticket.
At a media briefing on Monday, Sheriff, in response to a question about his presidential ambition, had stated that he would leave his presidential ambition to God to decide.
Adeyeye said, “We have seen the handwriting on the wall. What Sheriff is doing is geared towards one goal; and that is to hijack the presidential ticket of the PDP come 2019.
“The former Borno State Governor has clearly stated that he is interested in contesting the 2019 presidential election using the platform of our party, the PDP.
“We said it earlier, but most non- party members, as well as some members of the party who could not see beyond the curtains didn’t believe it.
“But we were sure that Senator Sheriff was holding the party to ransom because he wants to hijack the party and use it for his selfish interest.â
According to Makarfiâs group, with Sheriff as a presidential candidate of any party, the 2019 elections would be a mere walk-over for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Having Sheriff as presidential candidate would be a death sentence for the PDP,â Adeyeye said.
The two camps also traded accusations on Tuesday over moves to influence the outcome of the appeal filed at the Supreme Court by the Makarfi camp.
Addressing journalists earlier in the day, Sheriff’s deputy, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, accused the Makarfi camp of making clandestine moves to influence the justices of the apex court handling the case.