By Taiwo Amodu
Chieftains and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who are anxious of an amicable resolution of the leadership tussle rocking the party may have their hopes dashed in the new year.
Daily Sun gathered that the faction of the party under the leadership of former Borno State governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff is plotting to conduct a national convention to elect new set of national officers next year. The convention is expected to hold in the first quarter of next year.
Daily Sun gathered that the national convention of the party had, last May, in Port Harcourt, dissolved the national working committee led by the former Borno State governor and put in place a caretaker committee led by former Kaduna state governor, Ahmed Makarfi, with a mandate to administer the party’s national secretariat for three months. But Sheriff, flaunting several court orders, had since proclaimed himself as the authentic national chairman of the party.
A new convention fixed for August 17 by the Makarfi faction was, however, aborted by security agents which barricaded the Sharks Stadium in Port Harcourt, venue of the convention. The police claimed they were enforcing judgment of Justice Obong Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja which stopped the Makarfi-led faction of the PDP from going ahead with its plan to conduct the national convention of the party.
Justice Abang, who issued the order, said he did so in the interest of justice for both parties in a suit pending before him. Abang also said the order was issued to curb the excesses of some parties in the matter, and to serve as a disciplinary measure against those treating the court with levity. However, before Justice Abang’s ruling few days to the aborted convention, Justice Ibrahim Watila of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt had ruled that the PDP convention was in line with the July 4 judgment of the court which validated the May 21, 2016 national convention of the party.
Justice Watila also ordered INEC to monitor the convention. He also ordered the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of the DSS, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police and the Rivers State Director of the DSS to provide security at the convention.
Confirming the move to conduct a convention next year, in a telephone interview with Daily Sun, Deputy National Chairman of the faction, Dr Cairo Ojougboh said the need to get the blessings of respected leaders of the erstwhile ruling party informed the ongoing consultations across the country. Sheriff, on Monday, had a closed door meeting with former national chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur at the latter’s residence in Abuja.
Speaking further, Ojougboh said the proposed convention would amend the party’s constitution to enable sitting and former members of the National Assembly become automatic delegates at every national convention of the party. It would also afford every state under the party control to contribute one senator and member of House of Representatives as members of the National Executive Committee. The amendment would also guarantee outright disqualification of any candidate who emerges through consensus option for any elective office.
The move, Daily Sun further gathered, was to checkmate the governors, who are fond of imposing their anointed candidate as successor, using the consensus model.
He said: ‘’ A governor or president after two terms in office will be barred from adopting or showing open support for any candidate at all.
It impedes internal democracy and that’s responsible for anti-party activities.’’
The former national vice chairman, south -south claimed that the main opposition party lost the recently concluded governorship election in Ondo State as a result of imposition of Eyitayo Jegede as candidate by the outgoing governor, Dr Segun Mimiko.
He said: ‘’You recall what happened in Ondo State, when governor Mimiko imposed his lackey as candidate and that created disaffection.
That’s what happened in Ondo State. It is most unfortunate and we are determined to correct it.’’
Asked if the Senator Ahmed Makarfi caretaker committee would be accommodated in the proposed National Executive Committee meeting that would lead to the national convention, Dr Ojougboh dismissed the team as impostors and further alleged that they were already romancing certain leaders of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) behind the emerging mega party.
‘’ We don’t recognize them, they are impostors, they want to distract us. They are already talking of forming a mega party. If they want to form a mega party, they should go their way and leave us alone. They are just a distraction, “ he told Daily Sun on phone.
National publicity secretary of the Ahmed Makarfi faction, Dayo Adeyeye could not be reached for comments, as he neither picked his calls nor responded to text messages sent by Daily Sun reporter.
In his reaction, chairman of the party Board of Trustees, Senator Walid Jubrin also refrained from comments: “ I wish them goodluck.
That’s all you will hear from me. The leadership of the caretaker PDP crisis festers should answer your question.’’
