Sheriff, Makarfi groups tussle over Lagos PDP chairmanship seat

Despite the Supreme Court verdict affirming Senator Ahmed Makarfi as National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the crisis rocking the Lagos State chapter of the party may still be far from being resolved. The leader of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff’s group, Chief Segun Adewale, maintained that he remained chairman of PDP in the state.

He spoke at a press conference, which he jointly addressed with the party secretary, Mr. Jide Ladeinde, at the party secretariat, Sogunle, Lagos, in reaction to the court judgment which pronounced, Makarfi as the national chairman of PDP.

“Just as we stated at our last press conference, we remain the bona fide Lagos State PDP executive committee, in view of the fact that it emerged from an NWC’s properly conducted congress and remain so even with the landmark judgment of the Supreme Court,” he said.

But Honourable Moshood Salvador, who heads the Makarfi group, in his reaction, enjoined Adewale to be a gallant loser, saying his utterances were not only provocative and obviously mischievous, but fundamentally contemptuous.

“It has come to our notice that Mr Segun Adewale is still parading himself as the state Chairman of Lagos PDP. This is fundamentally contemptuous, provocative and obviously mischievous to weaken the chances of our loyalists in the forthcoming local government polls in Lagos State. Though his recent actions are laughable, we admonish him to be a gallant loser as he no doubt has his role to play in rebuilding the party,” Salvador said in a statement.

Adewale, while congratulating Senator Makarfi on the court verdict, urged  him to bring various groups together in order to mould a party strong enough to win the 2019 general election.

He added that he and his group had remained consistenly loyal to the party throughout the period of the crisis.

The PDP chieftain said they refused to jump ship unlike other PDP members who hopped to other parties whenever they did not have their way.