Makarfi rejects Dickson’s convention committee composition

THE Chairman of the factional National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has rejected the template for the proposed national unity convention of the party submitted on Tuesday by the chairman of the PDP Standing Committee on Reconciliation, Governor Seriake Dickson.

The Bayelsa governor had presented his committee’s template for the conduct of the national convention to Makarfi in private on Tuesday but his presentation of the same report to National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff on the same day was witnessed by the media.

That has apparently riled the factional chairman who thought it was wrong to have placed the committee’s recommendation on the public domain when much work remained to be done to refine it.

Makarfi told the Nigeria Tribune in Abuja in on Wednesday that implementing the template the way it is at the moment, would go against the judgement of the Court of Appeal that ordered the feuding parties in the leadership crisis to revert to the status quo ante before the botched May 21, 2016 national convention.

He said Dickson was supposed to have gone back to members of his committee to rectify areas that were potentially in conflict with the court judgement but he failed to do so.

The former Kaduna state governor said: I’m shocked and disappointed that Governor of Bayelsa made public presentation of a purported report approved or endorsed by us and other stakeholders as reported.

“He met me yesterday (Tuesday) and I pointed out the problems with his proposals that it will go against even the Court of Appeal Judgement.

“At the end, I told him, as Caretaker Committee, whatever is approved by the organs of the Party that we represent, we will work with and advised him to revert back to his colleagues and other organs. But this is what we are seeing.”

The template released by the Bayelsa governor called for the formation of a national convention committee that would conduct a national unity convention.

According to the template, Sheriff is expected to select, in consultation with party stakeholders, 12 members of the national convention planning committee.

The Standing Committee had also urged the national convention planning committee to consider appointing into the planning committee, seven state governors, seven senators including the Deputy Senate President, 12 members of the House of Representatives and six members of the Board of Trustees.

Also to be considered for membership of the convention planning committee according to Dickson, are National Vice Chairmen (one per zone), three State Chairmen per zone, six serving Speakers of the State Houses of Assembly and six former governors.

Others suggested for inclusion are six former Presiding Officers of the National Assembly (who are still members of the party), six prominent Women Leaders, six Youth Leaders of the party and six former Ministers of the Party and Governor Dickson had restated the commitment of the Standing Committee on Reconciliation to the pursuit of a political solution as the best option for resolving the on going  challenges facing the party without prejudice to the ongoing judicial processes.

He explained that this need necessitated the template that would culminate in a Unity National Convention.

He said the convention shall be responsible for the conduct of the elections to all national offices the party including the zoning of such offices.

Dickson said as part of the sacrifice to be made in order to reposition the party, the committee was of the view that all national officers who may claim that their tenure still subsists beyond the proposed convention “are hereby requested to relinquish their claim in the interest of the party.”

According to the template, “for the purpose of the convention, all officers elected at the ward, local, state and zonal levels before the first Port Harcourt convention of 21st May of 2016 are deemed validly elected except for the election held in some states that were declared by NEC as inconclusive.

“That the proposed National Convention should hold as soon as possible and not later than 30th June 2017.”

The governor said the Committee shall continue to engage the party leadership and all relevant stakeholders with a view to having a hitch free convention.

While appreciating the efforts of former President Goodluck Jonathan, governors and other leaders of the party at resolving the leadership crises in the party,
he called on all and sundry to work towards the realization of this objective.

In his response, Sheriff has promised to study the template to see if there would be need for adjustments.