National convention will hold as scheduled —Wike

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has declared that there is no court order stopping the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt on August 17.

An Abuja Federal High Court had, last week, ruled that Senator Ali Modu Sheriff was the national chairman of the party, even as the embattled PDP chieftain insisted that there was no plan to hold the national convention in Port Harcourt.

However, Governor Wike, while addressing the PDP executive committee, South-South, at the Government House, on Monday, insisted that the convention would hold as scheduled because, according to him, the court was yet to hear the suit filed by Senator Sheriff challenging the holding of the exercise.

“The court could not have sacked Senator Makarfi because it cannot sit on appeal on the judgement of a court of coordinate jurisdiction,” he said, adding that there was an application to allow Markafi to be joined as a party in the suit.

Noting that the suit was adjourned till August 15, the governor averred that the suit challenging the conduct of the PDP national convention was yet to be entertained by the court.

He said the leaders of the party in the southern geopolitical zones would meet on Thursday, to determine the zoning of positions ahead of the convention.

The governor assured that PDP would emerge stronger from its current challenges to provide credible leadership for Nigerians.

The governor also assured that the Edo State chapter of the party would be fully supported to win the governorship election coming up in the state next month.