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PDP state chairmen endorse Makarfi, urge Sheriff to embrace peace

By Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Abuja
28 June 2016   |   4:32 am
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) state chairmen yesterday endorsed the leadership of Makarfi-led national caretaker committee and urged Senator Ali Modu Sheriff to embrace dialogue and peace.
Makarfi

Makarfi

Caretaker committee gets report on Edo primaries

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) state chairmen yesterday endorsed the leadership of Makarfi-led national caretaker committee and urged Senator Ali Modu Sheriff to embrace dialogue and peace.

The chairmen stated this when a delegation led by the FCT PDP Chairman, Yunus Sulaiman, paid a solidarity visit to the Makarfi-led group yesterday in Abuja.

Makarfi, in a remark, noted that it would be difficult for PDP to return to power at the centre if the leadership crisis drags longer than it should.

Sulaiman, speaking on behalf of the chairmen, said the Makarfi committee was a product of the national convention in Port Harcourt.

“The Port Harcourt convention was product of the constitutionality of the party. All of us were involved, including Sheriff himself, which gave birth to this caretaker committee. The delegates to the national convention were driven from the 36 states of the federation, including the FCT. And we all voted unanimously and endorsed the caretaker committee. This is our product. There is no any other constitutional body to be in this party other than the caretaker committee.

“Several attempts have been made. And we are also in the course to meet with Sheriff and all other parties that feel aggrieved by the resolution of the convention. We urge all members of PDP to come back and resolve our issues internally”, he stated.

Responding, Makarfi said while the leadership tussle in the party is unfortunate, it was also good because “it shows that this is a party that people love and cherish and like government in waiting. If PDP is not worth anything, nobody will struggle over it.”

He noted that his committee was not put up to witch-hunt anybody, adding: “Our key mandate is to bring everybody along.”

Appealing to Sheriff to seek dialogue, Makarfi stressed that while the courts can make pronouncements, which will swing in any direction, legitimacy of any leadership truly lies with the people.

His words: “If today the stakeholders of the party ask us to give way, we will give way. We will not waste one moment to say the convention put us there for three months. It is about PDP.”

According to him, the party is yet to operate from its national secretariat for the sake of peace.

Meanwhile, the Edo State PDP electoral committee has submitted its report to the Makarfi-led committee.

Presenting the report, chairman of the committee and Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, disclosed that contrary to claims by Sheriff, six officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) attended the primaries, which produced Osagie Ize-Iyamu as the party’s candidate for the September 10, 2016 governorship elections.

The governor, therefore, appealed to Sheriff to concede to the position of the party organs and seek dialogue, adding that he cannot be bigger than the party.

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