Sheriff, Makarfi agree to work for peace in PDP

Supreme Court fixes May 4 to hear suit on Makarfi’s appeal

The crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may be over soon. This followed the agreement reached by the two factions after a meeting yesterday to halt all forms of hostilities against each other.

The meeting, which was called by the chairman of the party’s reconciliation committee and Governor of Bayelsa State Seriake Dickson, also resolved that the party must focus on to how to form a formidable opposition.

A communique issued at the end of the meeting, which was attended by the Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee and the Ali Modu Sheriff’s group reads: “That all the actors should desist from making derogatory, inflammatory and divisive statements against party officials, stakeholders and members.

“That the party should not dissipate its energy amongst itself but to focus on how to unite and be a formidable opposition, capable of taking over power from the failed All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government.”

The statement further stated that all key actors in the on-going peace process should henceforth desist from making public statements attacking each other and statements, or insinuating negative acts that were capable of dragging the party to the mud.

“The PDP has agreed to work together with the National Reconciliation Committee led by Dickson to engender peace and genuine reconciliation,” the statement added. The communiqué was signed by the spokesperson of the national caretaker committee, Dayo Adeyeye and former political adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Ahmed Gulak.

Both Modu-Sheriff and Ahmed Makarfi were absent from the meeting, but some of their loyalists, among them Modu-Sheriff’s deputy, Cairo Ojougbo and the Chairman, Board of Trustees, Walid Jibrin attended.

Jibrin promised to convene a meeting of the trustees soon to consider the report. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has fixed May 4, for the hearing of an objection filed against the Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee of the PDP.

The Modu-Sheriff’s faction of the party had filed two separate motions at the apex court, challenging the competence of the Makarfi’s appeal against the judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt.

But the Makarfi faction, through its counsel, Mr. Kanu Agabi filed a counter-affidavit praying the court to discountenance the other faction’s two motions and allow the main appeal to be heard meritoriously.