Over the rumpus heralding the recent emergence of former Borno State governor, Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, as national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a chieftains of the party and former minister of environment, Chief John Odey, has said the Ambassador Wilberforce Juta-led PDP Rescue Group (PRG) is on a mission to save the party from sheer impunity.
Odey stated this on Monday in Abuja, in an interview with TheLeaderng.com, an online media and stressed that Sherriff’s emergence was an aberration of the party constitution and against internal democratic process of the party.
He added that the group is mobilising stakeholders in the party to push for a proper convention billed for a later date in March, insisting due process must be followed in choosing its national party leaders.
The former national publicity secretary of the PDP further explained that the governors under the party did the hand picking of the former governor and that was not in the interest of the party but sheer impunity and cannot be condoned anymore as the party braces for rebranding and bent on doing everything according to due process.
Odey said: “We are mobilising party stakeholders to put pressure on him (Sheriff) to resign. This pressure will continue. PDP is due to conduct convention in March. Due process must be followed to entrench constitutionalism in the party electioneering process. We are concerned about the level of impunity and must eradicate it.”
“Board of Trustees and most stakeholders objected when it was raised at NEC but the governors alone met with aspirants and took the decision. This is not democratic. If it has been done like that in the past, we should not make it a norm. The era of impunity is gone else the party will decimate. This is what we trying to avoid.
“We will explore all the internal mechanism of dispute resolution within the party. We are confident of a peaceful resolution to save the party from drifting. We believe the party will listen to the discerning voices of members.”
Following the rumbling going on in the party, which has attracted attention from within and outside the party, Odey confirmed that former ministers under the PDP will be meeting tomorrow Tuesday over this issue.
However, speaking on the mission of the group pushing for the resignation of Sheriff, Odey maintained that they were not out to take over the machinery of the party rather to correct anomalies and impunity that has brought the party to its knees.
“The group is not planning to take over the party administration. We are insisting on due process in the election of officers in line with the constitution of PDP.
