By Abdulaziz Abdulaziz
Abuja
Following the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stakeholders of the party in the North-east geopolitical zone, have called on the embattled factional chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, to hands off the party’s affairs to allow it move forward.
The top party chieftains who met yesterday at Zaranda Hotels, Bauchi, specifically called on Sheriff to withdraw all litigations he instituted for his claim to party’s leadership, and resign from the position of the PDP chairman.
This was the highlight of a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting which was convened by a former governor of Adamawa state, Mr. Boni Haruna and a former Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Adamu Maina Waziri.
It states that “the concerned stakeholders took cognisance of the issues that produced the seeming intractable problematic crisis resulting into a deluge of litigations that have defied internal conflict resolution.”
The zonal stakeholders said the aim of the meeting and its resolutions was to protect, preserve and promote collective and individual interest within the zone and nationwide.
The communiqué urged Sheriff to withdraw all pending court cases and recognise the National Caretaker Committee so as to pave way for the party to have an all-inclusive national convention that would produce a new leadership.
It also said, “In furtherance of our collective interest, the North-east Concerned PDP stakeholders have resolved to strengthen consultations at all levels of the party towards finding amicable and workable solutions to disputes prevailing and to deepen zonal cohesion.”
On national interaction, “the North-east Concerned PDP stakeholders resolved to engage other zones towards repositioning the PDP as a viable and active opposition platform, noting that this is sine-qua-non for the overall development and progress of our democracy.”
The meeting also concluded that three committees made up of Central Working Committee, Contact and Mobilisation and Strategy Committee be set up to work to actualise all resolutions reached at in this meeting.
“In furtherance to PDP ideals, the party faithful are to willingly work to address the current challenges that have weakened the party and will “carry out the outlined responsibilities with a view to repositioning our great party for and on behalf of all patriotic and peace loving party faithful.”
The resolutions were read by Communiqué Drafting Committee Chairman, Senator Sanusi Daggash.
Among party stalwarts at the meeting were former PDP governors, deputy governors, ministers, former and serving senators, House of Representatives members, Houses of Assembly members and party’s stalwarts.
