BREAKING NEWS, Politics
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The leadership crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party worsens with supporters of Ali Modu Sheriff, factional party chairman and that of Ahmed Markarfi, chairman of the national caretaker committee clashing at the party secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday, June 14
| By Anayo Ezugwu | Jun 27, 2016 @ 01:00 GMT |
CONFUSION has continued to reign within the ranks of the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as Ahmed Markarfi-led national caretaker committee and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, ousted national chairman of the party battle for the soul of the party. On Wednesday, June 15, supporters of the factional leaders of the party turned the national secretariat of party into a battle field.
Makarfi supporters stormed the national secretariat, and chased away Olawale Oladipo, former National Secretary of the party, and Adewole Adeyanju, ex-national auditor, from offices. The two party chiefs escaped what would have been a mob attack as they were spirited out by PDP internal security officials.
After chasing the ex-party officers out of the building, the protesters locked the main gate of the secretariat and handed over the keys to Senator Walid Jibrin, chairman of the party’s BoT, who arrived at the scene moments later. The crowd, which earlier surrounded his car and prevented him from driving into the premises, handed him the keys after ascertaining his identity.
The anti-Sheriff protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as ‘Sheriff must go’, ‘Sheriff, leave our party alone’, and ‘Agent of APC, stop killing our party.’ The protesters, under the aegis of PDP National Rebirth Group, who were mostly youths, shouted anti-Sheriff songs, demanding that the ousted chairman should give up his hold on the party secretariat.
Edede Franklyne, leader of the group, told journalists that the Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee was set up to rescue the party, advising Sheriff to shelve his ambition in the interest of the party.
Later in the day, the pro-Sheriff protesters came in their numbers, singing and dancing while insisting that Sheriff remained the party’s national chairman. Some of the protesters, who wore vests embossed with Sheriff’s portrait, while dancing, displayed placards with such inscriptions as ‘Sheriff MUST Stay’ and ‘Sheriff is our man’ while dancing to traditional Hausa music.
Solomon Azobie, leader of the pro-Sheriff protesters, under the aegis of Guardian of Democracy, in an interview with journalists, maintained that Sheriff remained the national chairman of the PDP until otherwise decided by a court.
Prior to this, on Monday, June 13, Sheriff took over the secretariat of the party vowing that he remained the authentic chairman of the party till 2018. His action further plunged the party into deeper crisis after the caretaker committee assumed office with much fanfare recently. He said based on a ruling by the Federal High Court in Lagos, he remained the chairman of the party till 2018. He explained that he had restrained himself from taking over the party after the convention of the party in Port Harcourt, because he was waiting to see whether the court order against the party would be vacated.
He said: “As you may be aware, we have been facing some challenges, since we put off the National Convention, planned for Port Harcourt, last month. I will therefore consider it the height of self-deceit for anyone to pretend that the PDP is not in crisis, but also wish to assure you that, we have been working round the clock to see how we can resolve the matter, without being on the wrong side of the law.
According to him, “It is public knowledge that, although there was an order by the Federal High Court in Lagos, declaring me the authentic national chairman of PDP, I have kept away from taking steps that could jeopardize the law, following an exparte order from the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt which had given a contradictory order, restraining me from operating as chairman of our party, notwithstanding some further orders from the Federal High Court, Lagos, specifically directing the Inspector General of Police to provide me with adequate security to enable me carry on my duties.
“Now that the ex parte order given in Port Harcourt has since lapsed on June 9, and has not been renewed or extended, it is now my pleasure and privilege to inform you that I have fully resumed as the one and only National Chairman of our great party, the PDP. I have all the while kept away from the office in strict compliance with the ex parte order of the port Harcourt Federal High Court which lapsed on June 9, and not because I sanction the illegalities being committed by some members of our party”.
He said that “while the court procedures are still going on, a lot of illegalities; in clear defiance of the law have been taking place in the party, under the guise of a contraption called caretaker Committee. I had hoped that, for once, the PDP, which have been accused of promoting impunity and declining lawful orders will purge itself, which informed my decision to obey the courts. Lawful pronouncements by court must be obeyed”.
Also, he stated that “lawful pronouncements by courts, no matter how inconvenient they may be are to be obeyed, no matter one’s position. And no person should be seen to be above the pronouncements of competent courts of this country. Be that as it may, let me state for the avoidance of doubt, that, beyond the court orders, the PDP operates with a set of laws, which guides the conducts of our affairs. I, therefore, call on everyone to shun all acts that will tend to portray the party as being lawless. We must learn to obey our own laws first before we can hope to provide the desired leadership.”
But the national caretaker committee, NCC, on Tuesday, June 14, described the storming of the national secretariat of the party by the, Sheriff as lawless and detestable. Dayo Adeyeye, spokesman of the PDP NCC, said there was evidence of a possible role of the federal government in present crisis as can be seen through the level of security provided for Sheriff by a team of SSS men when he stormed the national secretariat.
“The All Progressives Congress, APC, has contracted Sheriff and his cohorts to scuttle the chances of the PDP in the Edo governorship elections. We have credible intelligence that Sheriff had a meeting last Sunday night with an APC governor from the North-west, where it was organised that he would be given full security and financial support to exacerbate the crisis in the PDP with the objective of preventing the PDP from presenting a candidate for the Edo State governorship elections, or in the very least, prevent the PDP from offering a serious challenge to APC whose electoral fortunes has continued to nose-dive,” he said.
Adeyeye said it had alerted the police of an impending invasion of the party’s premises but was surprised how Sheriff and the other renegades were allowed to gain entry into the secretariat, where they later proceeded to address a press conference. He said the party was still trying to understand the role of the police in the entire saga, adding that “it is curious that the police made no arrest of the thugs who openly brandished various dangerous weapons in and around the premises of the secretariat in full glare of the police.”
He accused Sheriff, Oladipo and Adeyanju of mobilising three lorry loads of thugs and bandits to invade the national secretariat. “When rumours of the planned invasion filtered out on Sunday, we took steps to alert the police to secure the building and to protect the lives and properties of members. Up to a point, the police discharged their responsibilities satisfactory however, later on without any justification whatsoever, Ali Modu Sheriff and the other renegades were allowed to gain entry into the secretariat, where they later proceeded to address a press conference.”
On his part, Makarfi dismissed the report of support for the leadership of Sheriff, describing it as false and fraudulent. Makarfi said he never granted any press interview nor made any statement to that effect. “That’s very fraudulent. I saw him at the convention of course, but I haven’t sat privately with Sheriff in the last three months, or anybody representing him not to talk of me making such a statement.
“I haven’t granted any press statement. If that is the case, how can it be that the only statement I would make is to apologise to him and express support for him? There is no basis for that, absolutely no basis for that. This is what we are trying to get rid from PDP and all the so-called court orders, judgment being bandied about aren’t really true.”
Responding to the allegations that it was working in cahoots with Sheriff to cause crisis in the opposition party, APC described it as baseless and laughable. Mai Mala Buni, APC national secretary, said instead of joining issues with the baseless and laughable allegations, it would rather face issues that would bring about all-inclusive development in the country.
“However, it should be put on record that the PDP forced on itself whatever crisis it is troubled with today due to its politics of imposition and other undemocratic practices which the APC abhors. The PDP should put its house in order rather than playing to the gallery and blaming others but themselves for their sins which has come to hunt them. Also, it is evident that the PDP has chosen to employ diversionary tactics because of its inability to produce credible candidates for the forthcoming elections in Edo and Ondo States.”
The PDP board of Trustees and the national caretaker committee plans to meet this weekend to decide on the way forward for the party.
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