Abuja: The National Vice-Chairman (South South) of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Emmanuel Ogidi has said that his zone would heed National Caretaker Committee’s directive empowering state chapters on platforms for members contesting elections, just as the Sherriff-led faction had kicked the instruction.
He said that there was nothing wrong in allowing state chapters of the party to decide the political platform their candidates could use to contest imminent elections, pending the resolution of the party’s leadership tussle.
The National Caretaker Committee-led by Sen. Ahmed Makarfi had said that states chapters of the party were free to decide on any political platform their candidates could contest while waiting for Supreme Court’s verdict on the leadership tussle.
Makarfi said that the call became necessary following the party’s experience in previous elections in Edo and Ondo where Sheriff fielded candidates against the party’s choice. “We call on all loyal members to ignore this call and see them for what they are; destroyers of our much cherished party.
“We equally call on all members who are desirous of contesting elections to use the PDP and be rest assured of level playing field guaranteed by internal party democracy. “It is now clear that having failed to convince members to follow them to their proposed new party, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi and his co-travellers have resorted to using everything available to destroy our party.
Ogidi made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Today in Abuja.
He said that the decision of the committee headed by Senator Ahmed Makarfi was apt, alleging that the National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff had continued to sabotage the party’s efforts in elections.
“Yes, the Appeal Court in Port Harcourt said that Sheriff is the chairman of the party, but we have appealed against that; therefore, we still maintain our position.
“The committee’s directive is right since we know that in any given election in any state, at a particular time, Sheriff will want to bring his candidate against the choice of the party.
“From those experiences, the states chapters will happily do with the option to decide which platform their candidates can contest elections. There is nothing wrong with that order,’’ Ogidi said.
He, however, expressed optimism that the problem in the party would soon be resolved with the expected pronouncement of the Supreme Court on its leadership tussle.
“I believe that very soon, the matter will be resolved after the judgement.’’
The Supreme Court had fixed May 25 for continued hearing in the PDP leadership case before it.
National Caretaker Committee of PDP had, in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday said that state chapters were free to consider platform appropriate for members to contest pending elections in the meantime.
The statement by the committee’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Dayo Adeyeye, said while the party awaited Supreme Court’s verdict on its leadership tussle, the committee was confronted with pending councils’ elections in many states.
It said that there were also National and State Assembly bye-elections to be contested in many states.
It explained that the order to the states was to avoid a repeat of Edo and Ondo gubernatorial polls’ experiences where “Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and his co-travellers scuttled the chances of PDP members.’’
But, in a swift reaction, Sheriff condemned the directive, saying that the Makarfi-led caretaker committee had no authority to issue the order.
In a statement by Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, his deputy, Sheriff said that the committee was not recognised and was therefore, an illegal body.
“As far as we are concerned, we are one family and whatever problem we have in PDP, we should not wash our dirty linen in the public.’’
He added that the door of peace was still open to Makarfi’s group, advising, however, that they could go back to Seriake Dickson’s reconciliation committee’s recommendations.
Sheriff -Led PDP Kicks
Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged members of the party to ignore the advice for those of them desirous of contesting elections to look for alternative platforms. Sheriff said this in a statement issued by Mr Bernard Mikko, the acting PDP Spokesperson to Sheriff on Wednesday in Abuja.
“This new antic will also fail,’’ Sherif said. According to him, the party’s National Caretaker Committee is illegal. He assured all PDP aspirants that the end to impunity and imposition of candidates in the party was in sight.
Meanwhile, the Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee had denied a report that the committee directed PDP members to defect to other political parties.
The committee in a separate statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Dayo Adeyeye described the publication as misleading, saying the committee had never asked anyone to defect.
Adeyeye added that it was a deliberate attempt to misrepresent the committee’s position and cause confusion among the rank and file of PDP members. He said that clarification became necessary following the confusion caused by a newspaper headline that the committee directed PDP members to vote for another party in the forthcoming local government elections in Lagos. “There was no such directive from the National Caretaker Committee. “Our statement was very clear and unambiguous which was to the effect that we are in court and have absolute faith and confidence in the judiciary to dispense justice without fear or favour. “We are aware that PDP is being disenfranchised in some elections and that different states have adopted different approaches to the issue without prejudice to the substantive matter before the court. “We state categorically that the National Caretaker Committee has never asked anyone to defect to another Party. PDP is our party.’’ He enjoined PDP members to continue to demonstrate total commitment and loyalty to the party.
