PDP crisis: Sheriff kicks against BoT’s position on way forward •Insists on dissolution of Makarfi-led caretaker committee

THE leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened on Tuesday, as  the factional national chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, kicked against the resolutions reached on Monday by the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) on the way forward for resolution of the crisis in the party.

In a statement by the acting deputy national chairman of the faction, Dr Cairo Ojougboh, entitled “Our position and made available to newsmen in Abuja, on Tuesday on the resolution of the party BoT on the crisis, Sheriff declared that “the resolutions fell short of the decision reached with the Dickson/Mantu reconciliation committee.”

Sheriff, who insisted that he stood by the early position that the Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee should be disbanded immediately, as the committee was alien to the constitution of the party accused the chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jibril of fueling the crisis in the party.

While faulting the vote of confidence passed on the caretaker committee by  the BoT, Sheriff said “in any case, his tenure has expired, as he had spent more than 10 years as secretary and chairman of BoT, which runs contrary to the constitution.”

According to Sheriff, “we completely reject the vote of confidence passed on the illegal caretaker committee, because a committee that has failed twice to successfully organise a convention on two occasions is a failure.

“Having deliberated on the reported outcome of the BoT meeting of August 29, we have resolved to state as follows, that the resolutions fell short of the decision reached with the Dickson/Mantu reconciliation committee.

“The agreement we had is that Sheriff should chair a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, where Makarfi will attend as a member of the BoT, at the meeting, a chairman of Convention Committee will be agreed upon, a new Convention Committee set up, including all other sub-committees— Zoning, Finance, Accreditation, among others.

“The venue of the convention will be in Abuja, where a new leadership of the party will emerge, internal democracy will be respected and confidence will return to the party.

“And we had hoped that opportunity will be given, where everybody will meet under one umbrella, shake hands and will see the PDP re-emerge for the challenges ahead.”

It will be recalled that the board had, on  Monday, rose from a crucial meeting on how to resolve  the crisis and  directed Caretaker Committee to hold the next national convention of the party in Abuja and  that a new convention planning committee should be put in place by the committee.

It added that the Planning Committee should be approved by the party’s NEC.

The communique of the BoT read in part: “The next convention should be held in Abuja.

“To ensure a credible, transparent, free and fair convention, a new Convention Planning Committee should be constituted by the National Caretaker Committee and approved by NEC.”

Walid added that the BoT should facilitate the raising of adequate funds for the party and urged the Board’s reconciliation committee, headed by Professor Jerry Gana, to continue with all good efforts for reconciliation.

Passing a vote of confidence on the National Caretaker Committee, the BoT charged the committee to, as soon as possible, convene a meeting of the NEC, to accordingly approve proposals for moving the party forward.