Ali-modu Sheriff sacked as PDP Acting Chairman

In a surprise move, for­mer governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi, was elected as the chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the parallel national convention held in the Port Harcourt, the Rivers State cap­ital, yesterday.

This was against widespread anticipation and speculation that the party’s acting chair­man and former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff, would emerge as the substan­tive chairman or continue to act until an elective convention when the position of chairman would be up for grabs..

The party’s National Secre­tary, Prof. Wale Oladipo and other members of National Working Committee (NWC) were also replaced by the new caretaker committee whic also comprise Senator Ben Obi - Secretary; Senator Odion Ugbesia - Member; Senator Abdul Ningi - Member; Prince Dayo Adeyeye - Member; Ai­sha Aliyu - Member; and Bar­rister Usman - Member.

Before the new leadership emerged, Sheriff and the PDP governors had had a marathon meeting where decisions re­garding the well-being of the party were taken.

•Sheriff suspends convention

Sheriff later announced the suspension of its National of the convention, citing the nu­merous court cases as the rea­son the decision.

He said as a law abiding party it suspended the conven­tion until all court cases were resolved.

``Members of the National Working Committee and I have been working since morning. We are confronted with a lot of challenges.

``The challenges are court cases and taking into account the decision of the Indepen­dent National Electoral Com­mission (INEC) not to super­vise the election into the office of Chairman, Secretary and Auditor.

“Based on the order of the court and on the account that our party is responsible and law abiding with high respect to the judiciary and courts, we do hereby state and put off the National Convention,” he said.

Sheriff said the convention would be held when all court cases were resolved.

He said the issues raised in the cases were many and bothered on the expiration of the tenure of some offices in 2017 and 2018 and the fact that INEC said it would not super­vise the election.

He also said that the NEC of the party did not want to be charged for contempt of court and decided to suspend the convention.

The then acting chairman urged all delegates to return to their various states until the is­sues were resolved, adding that “whatever the decisions the court take, we will abide by it.”

While the governors opted for caretaker committee to lead the party for the main time, Sheriff, it was gathered had in­sisted that he will lead the party till 2018.

However, the governors and other stakeholders had their way and appointed a caretaker committee to hold a national convention within 90 days when new NWC members will be elected.

The convention held despite court injunctions and direc­tives for the Independent Na­tional Electoral Commission (INEC) not to supervise it.

It commenced amid tra­ditional PDP flamboyance with all the governors from the PDP-controlled states; 12 former PDP governors, some members of the National Working Committee and Board of Trustees, as well as all party leaders in the National Assembly, in attendance.

Party members from across the country gathered at the main bowl of the Sharks Sport Club Stadium, in Port Har­court as early as 8: 30 am.

The commencement of the convention was however, delayed until about 3:04 pm, when the chairman of the Na­tional Convention Planning Committee and Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom

 Wike, mounted the podium to address the delegates.

As proceedings went on, indications emerged that the convention would only adopt a caretaker committee against conducting an elec­tion head on.

Moving the motion for the dissolution of the current leadership of the party by two former Deputy Speakers of the House of Representa­tives, Hon. Austin Opara, and Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, the stage was set for the nomination of the new lead­ers and Caretaker Commit­tee of the party.

Former governor of Ni­ger State, Dr. Babaginda Aliyu, had earlier moved for a change in the zoning poli­cies of the party to zone the national chairmanship of the party to the North; and was supported by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State.

Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, then moved to appoint a com­mittee to manage the affairs of party for a period not exceeding 90 days pending when the national conven­tion would be held. The mo­tion was seconded by the Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwambo.

Thereafter, former Ka­duna State governor, Sena­tor Ahmed Markafi was nominated and adopted as the Chairman of the national Caretaker Committee while former Senator Ben Obi from Anambra State was adopted as the Caretaker Committee’s Secretary.

Other members of the com­mittee are Senator Obasie Odion, Abdul Ningi, Godwin Usman, Prince Bayo Odayemi and Isha Adeya.

It was also agreed that the committee should not tamper with congresses already held across the states except where the congresses were earlier cancelled.

In his acceptance speech, Sen. Makarfi acknowledged the challenges ahead, noting that he and others were nomi­nated based on trust and that none of them would be run­ning for any office at the elec­tive convention.

The oath of office was ad­ministered on Makarfi and other members of the Care­taker Committee by Barrister Emma Okah, a Commissioner in the cabinet of Rivers State.

Wike had assured the party faithful that there was only one united PDP in the country, ful­ly prepared to take off and take over the rein of power from the incumbent government at the national level.

He emphasised that the suc­cessful hosting of the conven­tion in Port Harcourt, the first outside Abuja, was indicative of the fact that Rivers State re­mains a PDP state.

The PDP Deputy National Party, Prince Uche Secondus, urged the leadership of the party and members come to­gether in realisation that they are now in the opposition at the national level.

He lamented that the coun­try is adrift as a result of the difficult times caused by the “clueless leadership” of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government which he said had already disappointed Ni­gerians.

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Senator Wali Ju­bril, commended the gover­nors for bringing all members of the party together and as­sured that all the grievances arising from the state conven­tions and other sundry issues would be thoroughly ad­dressed.

Chairman of the PDP Gov­ernors Forum, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, while promising to further unite the party, argued that the incon­sistencies of the ruling APC have exposed its underbelly as everything about governance has collapsed in the country.

•Mantu, Turaki, Gambo react

Speaking with newsmen in Abuja, one of the leaders of PDP Concerned Stakehold­ers Forum and former Deputy President of the Senate, Ibra­him Mantu said that their targets and goals have been achieved.

This is even as former Min­ister of Special Duties and a

 stakeholder of Concerned PDP, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, lamented that the convention in Port Harcourt has further factionalised the party.

Mantu, who described the Port Harcourt convention as illegal, explained that the Board of Trustees is consti­tutionally mandated to take over the affairs of the party at a time like this.

According to him: “At this point in time, the only legal organ/ body constitutionally empowered to actually take­over the affairs of the party is the BOT.”

On his part, Turaki, said “we have sat down and delib­erated on what has happened, but we are amazed at the way and manner the party has been further factionalised.

“Coming out of the Port Harcourt meeting, with two groups now instead of one, we have examined that very cautiously, we have also heard some of the statements coming from the two groups and we are here trying to carefully study them to look at the implementations for the future and progress of our party.

“We will at appropriate time come out with a clear position on them. It is re­ally unfortunate that instead of working as one group to­wards strengthen and bring­ing all members together, our friends in Port Harcourt have ended up in further faction­alising the party.

A prominent politician from Borno State and gu­bernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic (PDP), in the 2015 general election, Alhaji Gambo Lawal, has ex­pressed confidence that the party will resolve all issues currently tearing its house apart and become stronger.

Speaking in Port Harcourt as a delegate to the party’s national convention, held in the Garden City, Lawal said he was not too worried about the crisis rocking the party.

He said: “What I am say­ing is that all these factions you see today; this is not the first time PDP had factions, right from 1999 till date that we are in the party. But all the same we have always come together. As a family, even two brothers can have differ­ences from time to time. So, this is what is happening.

“But I believe that this is­sue will be settled very soon and PDP will become a vi­able and strong opposition party as it is supposed to be. PDP will become stronger and we will be able to take a lot of other people; bring back those of our people that went to APC and make PDP a very strong party again and win election in 2019. I have strong confidence that is exactly what is going to happen.”