PDP under pressure to sanction Sheriff... Inaugurates zoning committee

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under the leader­ship of Ahmed Makarfi yesterday revealed that the party is under pressure to sanction the embattled former National Chairman of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff.

This is even as the party inau­gurated its 89-man zoning com­mittee headed by Ebonyi state governor, Dave Umahi.

Inaugurating the zoning com­mittee, the National Caretak­er Committee Chairman, Ma­karfi said that the committee has only one week to conclude their exercise so that aspirants would be sure of positions zoned to their respective zones even as he stressed that there is no anointed candidate for any position.

He said: “You have one week to submit your report so that we can stop people looking for posi­tion that is not there.”

The committee, which was formerly 88 members, was later increased to 89 by Makarfi, when he noted that Lagos State was not represented.

Makarfi assured members of the party that they would be car­ried along, adding that the party would not print single, but forms to accommodate every interest member seeking for elective po­sitions in the coming convention scheduled for August 17 in Port Harcourt.

He said: “It doesn’t make sense at all for the chairmanship of the party and the presidency to be zoned to the North. In party poli­tics, all sections should have a fair representation. That was why the entire zoning arrangement was jettisoned.

“Whatever decision you make will be widely accepted by all. I do not see you coming up with recommendations that would be quarried. Open the political landscape and do not restrict the chairmanship of the party to one corner.

Speaking on behalf of the committee members, Chairman of the zoning committee and Eb­onyi State governor, who was rep­resented by his deputy, Barrister Kelechi Igwe, said that it was the mistake and mis-steps of those who have found expression in other political parties that made the PDP wobbled to failure in 2015 elections.

Addressing newsmen short­ly after the inauguration, the spokesman of PDP, Prince Dayo Adeyeye said that “the committee has been under pressure to wield the big stick against Sheriff and his group. We will continue to ex­tend the olive branch, after all, it is yielding result.

“Sheriff cannot be bigger than the party. The decision of the con­vention is greater than Sheriff and others. The demand of Sheriff that the caretaker committee should resign cannot be met. Nigerians have seen what Sheriff and his group are doing as the greatest act of sabotage.”

He however explained that if Sheriff had come with his list, it would have been accommodat­ed in the committee.