Sheriff insists on being the authentic PDP chairman

•Akaagerger blames party loss on impunity
Senetor Ali Modu Sheriff has insisted that his faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) remains the valid and legally recognized arm of the party.

Similarly, a former military administrator of Katsina state, and member of the PDP, Senator Joseph Akaagerger blamed the party’s loss in 2015 on impunity.

Speaking in Makurdi, Benue State when he led other national officials of the party on a working visit to PDP supporters in the state, Sheriff said that the party would surely be taken party back to the people.

The former governor of Borno State said he was an intrepid politician, whose main agenda as the PDP national chairman was to return the party to the electorates.

According to him, the main problem in the PDP was impunity, adding that four governors in the party wanted to hijack the party upon his assumption of office.

“When PDP leaders came and begged me to take-over the party, I gave them one condition on which to return the party to the people, which I am doing. So, when four governors out of the twelve PDP governors wanted to take-over the party and destroy it, I told them no, it could not happen.

“That was the beginning of all the noise you hear everyday.
But as far as the PDP constitution is concerned, there is no room for a caretaker committee that will stay beyond three months. So, what they did in Port Harcourt was the continuation of the impunity they had planted in PDP over the years,” he stated.

He congratulated the Nigerian Army for defeating Boko Haram and capturing their major enclave, the Sambisa forest, explaining that the commitment of the armed forces has exposed his political enemies, who had accused him of sponsoring the group.

“I am the number one victim of Boko Haram. I lost relatives, aides, political associates in the crisis and someone accused me of funding the sect.

“The commitment of our armed forces has exposed my political enemies and I urge the Nigerian people to congratulate them for this victory. Their capture of Sambisa forest alone is a victory and we cannot thank them enough for this achievement,” he said.

Earlier, state chairman had disclosed that Benue PDP was happy with the Sheriif-led leadership of the party, adding that they were proud of him.

Also, Pinot Ogbaji, national-ex officio of the party, disclosed that the outcome of the 2015 election in the state was a demonstration of the people’s anger.

He stated that the people, who worked for the success of the party over the years, are living from hand to mouth.

Ogbaji, who is also the Chairman, Benue Primary Healthcare Board, accused other PDP leaders in the state of bringing grassroots politics to disrepute.

Meanwhile, Akaagerger who belongs to the Sheriff faction called on the Makarfi faction to “shield their sword and return to the main ford.”

He said in an interview with The Guardian that as the nation draws closer to another round of elections, the party needs to reposition in order to ensure it returns to power come 2019.

“The PDP is one indivisible family, of course you know that there is no perfection in anything so what is going on in the party today is not unusual but very soon all issues will be resolved and we will be better repositioned to return to power”

He accused Makarfi of fuelling impunity in the party attributing his failure to return to the Senate in 2011 to a situation where people would sit down and write names of those who should be delegates at conventions which is one of the reasons for their insistence that power must be genuinely returned to the people.