Makarfi denies pact with Sheriff, both disagree over Dickson panel report
• PDP senators to discuss out-of-court settlement with govs
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Caretaker Committee Chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, yesterday declared that he had not entered into any agreement with the National Chairman of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff.
Makarfi in a statement by his personal assistant, Mukhtar Zubair Sirajo, described as untrue “reports of acceptance of certain conditions as a precursor to reconciliation within the PDP family.”
“Senator Ahmed Makarfi wishes to state categorically that even though his commitment to reconciliation in the party as well as that of the caretaker committee are total and unwavering, neither he nor the committee has given or accepted any terms to or from anybody,” the statement added.
Also, Sheriff and Makarfi have disagreed over the report of the Seriake Dickson-led reconciliation committee. While Sheriff accepted the recommendations of the committee, Makarfi rejected it, describing the report as a breach of the February 17 Appeal Court judgement, which reinstated Sheriff as the party’s national chairman.
The committee on Tuesday submitted a report to Sheriff with recommendations on how to reunite warring factions of the PDP and that the national unity convention be convened on or before June 30 this year.
Rising from a meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) yesterday evening, the Sheriff leadership of the party disclosed that it had already given a directive to the National Organising Secreatary, Okey Nnadozie, to begin preparation for the event.
The communiqué issued at the end of the NWC meeting signed by the National Secretary, Wole Oladipo, commended the Dickson-led committee for the job.
But Makarfi in a statement yesterday stated that the National Caretaker Committee disagreed with the recommendations. He said: “I am shocked and disappointed that the Governor of Bayelsa made public presentation of a purported report approved or endorsed by us and other stakeholders as reported.”
“The committee did not see any draft report, although Dickson promised to come with it. In any case, as personal advice I referred him to the organs of the party and the Goodluck Committee,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the PDP caucus in the Senate acting on an invitation from Sheriff met yesterday after plenary and resolved to meet with the 11 governors from the party to discuss out-of-court settlement of the crisis in the party.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio said the PDP senators felt there was need for them to meet the governors before honouring the invitation sent to them by Sheriff.
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