A group, the PDP Media Watchdog has congratulated the chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) National Caretaker Committee, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, the Secretary, Sen. Ben Obi, and other members of the Committee over their recent appointments.
The appointment of the PDP National Caretaker Committee members was recently done at the National Convention of the party in Port Harcourt, Rivers State to pilot the affairs of the PDP.
The group in a statement on Thursday, in Lagos, extolled the Ahmed Makarfi’s led Working Committee saying that the decision of the National Convention was the best thing to happen to the PDP in recent times.
Mr. Tunde Lawal who spoke on behalf of the Watchdog declared that with the divergent legal tussle before the 2016 National Convention in Port Harcourt, the only available and most convenient measure to put the PDP back on track is the setting up of the National Caretaker Committee saying that the decision is in line with the Constitution of the Party, which empowers the National Convention to appoint Committees as it may deem fit.
Meanwhile, the group has chided the former national chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, for the legal cases instituted by him against the party and its leadership describing him as an interloper and greedy.
“We still cannot understand why Senator Sheriff will still claim he is the Chairman of the Party after the National Convention, the highest decision making organ of the Party has spoken.
“There is no basis or grounds whatsoever for his claims and we believe that with the endorsement and unanimous support the Makarfi led Committee have enjoyed from the BOT, PDP Governors, the Caucus, PDP members in the National Assembly and even from his former colleagues at the National Working Committee (NWC) and indeed all PDP supporters nationwide, he will see reasons that the whole Party is behind the decision of the National Convention” Tunde said.
Tunde further accused Sheriff of coming to the party on a mission to destroy the PDP, saying that his resolve to remain the Chairman of the Party when the people have rejected him is a pointer to his hidden agenda.
He said, “Except Senator Sheriff has an agenda to destroy the PDP, if he is a true Party man, he must abide by the wishes of the people and display the level of maturity and sportsmanship exhibited by his predecessors who were elected or appointed but either resigned or left when issues came up” Tunde said.
The group cited examples of some former national chairmen of the PDP who left office due to some internal strife to safe the Party from disintegration and today they are still highly respected stakeholders in their own rights.
“Look at Prince Eze Ogbulafor, he was elected as National Secretary of the Party but could not complete his tenure and later returned as National Chairman. Even when he came back as National Chairman of the Party in 2008, he resigned in the middle because of some issues. The same can be said of other former National Chairmen including Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Dr. Bamanga Tukur and Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu. These are honourable men that led the Party at different times and still remained great and respected leaders of the party” The group said.
The Watchdog noted that the appointment of Senator Sheriff by the 68th National Executive Committee (NEC), which was a great mistake in the first place given his antecedents, required confirmation by the National Convention in accordance with the Constitution of the Party which the group said was not done before or during the Port Harcourt National Convention.
“As we speak to you, Senator Ali Modu has not been confirmed by the National Convention which is a requirement of law to remain as Chairman. The decision of the 68th NEC Meeting is only one aspect of the law and his confirmation is another, so he should allow the Party to move on and join hands with other leaders of the Party to rescue Nigerians from the oppressive and dictatorial regime of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Finally, the group called on all Party men and women to join hands with Senator Ahmed Makarfi and his team to mend fences where necessary and work to elect credible leaders in the forthcoming National Convention.
