PDP crisis: Again Makarfi, Sheriff clash.
The leadership crisis currently rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) resurfaced on Tuesday with the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee (NCC) and the court recognised National Chairman of party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, accusing each other of factionalising the erstwhile ruling party.On one hand, the Senator Makarfi-led NCC raised the alarm that Senator Sheriff and his members were creating factional chapters in different states of the federation in order to compromise PDP’s chances in the forthcoming Local Government Elections in Lagos and other states.Aside, Lagos State, others that have set machinery in motion for the conduct of council election include Benue and Jigawa states.The NCC of the PDP raised that alarm on Tuesday in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye.The Makarfi-led caretaker committee equally dismissed the claim that it has instructed PDP members to use the platform of a newly registered party to contest the forthcoming Local Government election in Lagos State and other states where Local Government Elections are pending.The NCC however explained that since the PDP is currently in dispute, it recognised the anxiety of patriotic and loyal members to avoid a repeat of the Edo and Ondo Gubernatorial elections experience where Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and his members tried to scuttle the chances of the PDP by fielding APC lackeys and surrogates as alternative candidates in other to disturb, distract and dissipate the energy and concentration of the party’s genuine candidates in those elections.This, the NCC maintained, was the main reason for the defeat of PDP particularly in the Ondo State Governorship Election.It noted however that while the PDP members await the verdict of the Supreme Court, they are confronted with pending local government, National and State Assembly by-elections in many states of the federation.However, the court recognised National Chairman of party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, on Tuesday, in a statement signed on his behalf by his deputy, Dr. Cairo Ojoughboh, regretted that the former Kaduna Governor and his supporters by their attitude were still unrepentant, thus prolonging the crisis in the party.He advised Senator Ahmed Makarfi and members of his NCC to come back to the recommendations of the party’s National Reconciliation Committee, headed by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, adding that the door of peace is still open.The PDP National Chairman gave the advice in reaction to a statement by the Makarfi-led committee which accused him (Sheriff) of creating factions within the PDP in the various states of the federation.He further implored them to have a change of heart and return to the fold, with a view to adequately preparing to return to power in 2019.Sheriff, in the statement said, “Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to Makarfi. Ordinarily we would not have replied them because we don’t recognize them. They are illegal body and we run away from using uncouth languages against our brothers.“As far as we are concern, we are one family and whatever problem we have in PDP we should not wash our dirty linenin the public.“PDP has conducted successful local government election in Ebonyi State and signed by Ali Modu Sheriff.“We are currently preparing for elections in Cross River and other states. All our primaries are open to PDP members and they are welcome to participate.“PDP is an embodiment of great Nigerians including our governors, who are performing very well in their various states and our youth organisations all across the states.“What surprise us is that Makarfi claim he has a strong appeal at the Supreme Court when the Court of Appeal has made it clear that Makarfi disobeyed violently the order of Court in Lagos and Abuja. Is Makarfi expecting that the law will be re-written for them, to suit their personal interest?“By their attitude they are still unrepentant. We implore then to have a change of heart and return to the fold, so that we can adequately prepare to return to power in 2019.“The door of peace is still open, we urge the Makarfi group to go back to Dickson reconciliation committee’s recommendations”, Sheriff said.Meanwhile, the PDP caucus in the House of Representatives on Tuesday set up an ad hoc committee to review the on-going leadership crisis rocking the party and current political developments in the country.The caucus has also taken the All Progressives Congress (APC) government to the cleaners, saying the worst of the PDP government is 100 times better than the best of the present APC government.Inaugurating the committee, leader of the caucus and Minority Leader of the House, Rep. Leo Ogor, said the terms of reference of the committee is also to review the various peace efforts initiated by genuine leaders of the party.Aside reviewing the extent of the on-going leadership crisis in the party and the current political developments in the country, the committee is also “to recommend for the consideration of the caucus, the way forward in all the efforts to ensure our unity, coherence and interest.”The 13-man committee headed by Rep. Patrick Asadu is to submit its report within two weeks from the date of its first sitting.Chairman of the ad hoc committee, Rep. Asadu said that the option of failure to recover and rediscover the party is not an option to be contemplated.He added that “it takes only a cursory look at the almost two years of the present government for all to acknowledge that Nigeria needs its beloved party, the PDP, in whatever shape or form, not just as a vibrant democratic party, but also as the party that forms and runs the government of Nigeria.”He said that PDP cannot and will not be allowed to die just like that while the rot that is noticeable in the APC government continues, adding that “we have to recover, rediscover and re-energise our party, to provide Nigerians with a government Nigerians actually crave and deserve.”Lambasting the APC government for impoverishing the people and leading the nation to avoidable recession, the lawmaker said, “the PDP government was not and could never have been perfect, and few human endeavours are totally perfect, but the worst of the PDP government is 100 times better than the best of the present APC government.“We all are witnesses to a party under which the government has not only impoverished our people by leading us into an avoidable recession, without a single clue as to how to get us out of it.“But also runs a government under which all truly democratic institutions are under siege, under which ethnic, regional and religious tension have been promoted to unacceptable and unhealthy levels by selective application of the rule of law, by systematic breaches of the federal character principle and through an obnoxious and nauseating policy of government by exclusion of large segments of the society and a loud insensitivity to the insecurity of lives and property nationwide.“Agencies of government that should provide security for all are systematically being converted to the militant youth wing and rigging machines of the party in government, while the dreaded Boko Haram, long celebrated as defeated is again on the rampage, while armed and unpunishable murderous criminals masquerading as herdsmen are condoned, if not celebrated, while armed robbers, kidnappers, cultists and all mongers of violence and death are on the rise.”Asadu, however, pointed at the internal and external contradictions in the APC-led government, which gleefully raids the houses of justices of the court, lawmakers and opposition voices, but swept under the carpet cases of corruption against leading members of its executive.
