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Cross Rivers PDP confused over Sheriff, Makarfi

By Kelvin Ebiri, Port Harcourt and Anietie Akpan, Calabar
01 March 2017   |   3:59 am
The Cross Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is currently confused over whom to support between Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, whose national chairmanship was validated by the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt

Ali Modu Sheriff

Rivers chapter alleges plot to frame up members

The Cross Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is currently confused over whom to support between Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, whose national chairmanship was validated by the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt Court recently or the Sen. Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee.

The confusion is coming on the heels of conflicting statements issued by the party’s officials on their stand on Sheriff and Makarfi.The State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Egbun Samuel had recently issued a statement declaring the party’s support for the Markarfi faction but in a counter statement, the Chairman, Mr. Ntufam Edim Inok declared support for Sherriff as the national chairman.

According to Inok, “The PDP Cross Rivers State chapter supports the Sherriff-led executive.“This is in line with the Appeal Court’s judgment delivered in Port Harcourt in his favour as the national chairman of PDP.”

Inok said his statement also refutes the earlier report credited to the state publicity secretary, saying: “As law-abiding citizens, we are committed to the rule of law and also respect court decisions at all stages.

“The Cross Rivers State executive calls on all to join hands in moving the PDP forward.”MEANWHILE, PDP has alleged that security agents want to frame up its publicity secretary, Samuel Nwanosike, and other members arrested by the military during the weekend rerun poll in Rivers state.

The state party chairman, Felix Obuah, said that the party uncovered a plot to press incriminating charges against Nwanosike, Roland Sekibo, Odiari Princewill and another PDP chieftain.

Obuah said the PDP’s publicity secretary and others were legally accredited for the election, hence were entitled to be in Etche Local Government Area at the point in time.

He contended that a well-known All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in the state influenced the transfer of the PDP chieftains to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

He claimed that the dust being raised over the issue was born out of hate and bitterness against the arrested PDP chieftains and the singular desire to find cause to nail Mr. Nwanosike for not allowing APC to carry out its sinister plans especially in the Rivers East Senatorial District during the elections.

PDP said it is worrisome that after being illegally detained under inhuman conditions at the State CID, pressures are still being mounted on the security men to transfer them to Abuja in order to deny them further access to their families.

“We insist Mr. Samuel Nwanosike and the three others are innocent and were officially in Etche during the re-run election as our party agents for the purpose of monitoring the election and duly acted within the ambit of the law.

Their arrest no doubt, is a clear case of a witch-hunt and the identity of the person behind all the trumped-up charges and travails of the party officers is not lost on us”

“We are however convinced that our security men are now wiser and know those raising the dust in the state for their selfish interests, and wish to appeal to them to thread the path of reasonableness by releasing all the party chieftains unconditionally,” said Obuah.

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