Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Abdullahi Jalo, has deplored the continued claim by the disputed national chairman, Senator Ali Modu- Sheriff, to the leadership of the party.
Jalo also dismissed the threat by Modu-Sheriff that he would remain the national chairman of the PDP till 2018, saying the Independent National Electoral Commission had already recognised the leadership of the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee.
The Makarfi faction had, on Thursday last week, fixed a new national convention to be held in Port Harcourt for August 17 and zoned the chairmanship to the south.
But Sheriff has vehemently rejected the arrangement, insisting that the crisis in the party would continue until the Makarfi-led caretaker committee was dissolved.
Sheriff also listed as part of his conditions to end the PDP crisis a fresh national convention in the Federal Capital Territory. Abuja.
Speaking with our correspondent in Abuja, Jalo said, “Can he (Sheriff) threaten the party? Party members say he is not the chairman, let him go and call his convention and let us see those who will attend the convention. If Modu-Sheriff say he is above the law, let him go and say he must remain the chairman of PDP, whether we like it or not; let see.
“Let him continue to claim he is the PDP chairman and against court orders, let’s see what will happen. We are in democratic period, there is rule of law and we are in a civilized country.Ali Modu- Sheriff has approached INEC and the commission has said the person they know as PDP acting chairman is Ahmed Makarfi.”
According to Jalo, since INEC monitored the Port Harcourt convention and now had in its possession a court judgment affirming Makarfi as the chairman, Modu-Sheriff no longer had any basis to continue to lay claim to the seat.
He added, “If we want to be candid, Bamanga Tukur’s tenure was supposed to end by March 16, 2015; so Ahmadu Mu’azu got a little period because of the resignation of Tukur. After the exit of Mu’azu and the expiration of 16, March, 2015, there was no chairman in the PDP, we only had Secondus who stayed there for seven months and Modu-Sheriff was equally brought in just as a complement before PDP put its house in order.
“Modu-Sheriff has already been turned down by INEC. INEC is the umpire of political parties, they have received the candidate of Makarfi in Edo state, Pastor Osagie Ize- Iyamu.”
Commenting on Sheriff’s demand that Makarfi’s resignation should be one of the conditions for peace, Jalo said, “This man (Sheriff) has gone to court; when you are in court, it’s a contempt for you to sit down and have any settlement. The normal settlement you should have should be in the court. The settlement in court should be done in writing; that I’m withdrawing and now we are going to have amicable settlement.”
The former deputy national spokesperson of the PDP also berated Sheriff over his decision to continue with litigations over the leadership of the party.
“Nobody is denying Sheriff from going to court, but no matter the litigation, it will come to an end. You cannot rule people through cohesion or threat. In politics, you rule with understanding and affection. You don’t lead.
