PDP govs sack Sheriff

Fears of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, formally splitting were assuaged, yesterday, after warring party leaders, meeting in factional conventions in Abuja and Port-Harcourt, made common ground with the sacking of the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff executive of the party.

Following the surprising sack of Sheriff by his one-time supporters in Port-Harcourt, a caretaker committee with Ahmed Makarfi, a former governor of Kaduna State, appointed to superintend over the affairs of the party.

L-R Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko; Senate Minority Leader, Sen Godswill Akpabio and Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike. during the PDP 2016 National Convention in Port Harcourt Yesterday. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke
Sheriff, however, was unyielding as he had earlier in the day, in an  attempt  to stave-off the pressure on him to step aside, canceled the convention.   This was after a stormy meeting with the governors who had backed him.

Sheriff cited court orders restraining election into the offices of chairman, secretary, and auditor, as his reason for canceling the convention.

Earlier in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, Concerned Stakeholders led by Prof. Jerry Gana, meeting in Abuja, failed to appoint a factional caretaker committee as they had vowed but, rather, appointed the duo of Senator Ibrahim Mantu and Prof Tunde Adeniran as co-chairmen.

The move, Sunday Vanguard gathered, flowed from discussions between the Gana group in Abuja and concerned party stakeholders in Port-Harcourt who had reached a quiet understanding not to elect officials in either of the two venues to allow for peace.

The convention in Abuja was largely boycotted by serving National Assembly members and governors, and members of the outgoing National Executive but was populated by former governors, former ministers, and former senior officials of the party. The major surprise was the presence of the outgoing National Vice-Chairman, South-South, Dr. Cairo Ojugboh.

ABUJA CONVENTION

The convention in Abuja, which held at the M and M Event Centre, started at about  10 am  and ended within two hours after representatives of the party from the six geo-political zones gave speeches.

Among the former governors present were   Achike Udenwa of Imo, Garba Umar of Taraba and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa.

Professor Jerry Gana,   who set the ball rolling in his welcome address, said the PDP was formed on the principles of human rights, human values, and human dignity.

“We are driven by values of principles, integrity, and honour, respect for human rights, and we will not tolerate any thing that takes away human values,” he said.

In his remarks, Senator Ibrahim Mantu, a former deputy president of the Senate, said recent events in the party indicated that “the culture of impunity, disdain for democratic norms and utter disregard of our party constitution, behaviours that brought us to the 2015 loss, are rearing their ugly heads again”.

He noted that “the action of the National Executive Committee of the party in selecting Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as Chairman, was in gross violation of the established procedure for the selection. Senator Sheriff was not nominated by any caucus and hence not qualified to be selected”.

Goodwill messages were also delivered by Aisha Maina, Senator Grace Bent, Bala Mohammed, Ahmadu Fintiri, Remi Adiukwu, John Odey and Tanimu Turaki.

BAD SIGNS FOR SHERIFF IN PORT-HARCOURT

L-R Prince Dayo Adeyeye, Member; Sen Ahmed Markafi, Chairman of PDP National Care-Taker Committee and Sen Ben Obi, Secretary, PDP National Care-taker Committee all taking Oath of Office during the PDP 2016 National Convention in Port Harcourt yesterday. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke
Signs of untoward times ahead for Sheriff emerged when, at the scheduled time for the commencement of the convention, most of the major actors including governors, and senior party officials were nowhere to be seen.

By  10 a.m., the appointed time for the convention, it did not start.

Sunda