Party suffering from past sins – APC
Govs, BoT, others meet today
Youth threaten takeover
By Emeka Nze and Bode Olagoke
Abuja
The crisis within the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday took another dimension as the party accused the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) of being behind its woes.
Specifically, the party claimed that an unnamed APC governor from the North West zone met with the controversial National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and promised to provide the latter the needed logistics to disintegrate the PDP.
But the APC has asked the party to find ways of putting its house in order rather than blaming its misfortune on anybody, saying the PDP was only suffering for its past sins.
Accusing the APC of sponsoring Sheriff to destabilise their fold, embattled National Caretaker Committee Chairman, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, said his committee had it on good authority that the aim of Sheriff and his cohorts is to destabilise the party.
Besides, Makarfi, who spoke to journalists through the committee’s spokesman, Dayo Adeyeye, said the ongoing crisis was a ploy by APC to prevent it (PDP) from reorganising itself to provide credible opposition and alternative platform for the forthcoming Edo state gubernatorial and 2019 elections.
According to Adeyeye, intelligence gathered by the PDP indicated that Sheriff had a meeting on Sunday night with an APC governor in the North West, where it was assured that he would be given full security and finance to embark on his ‘ignoble role’ of aggravating the crisis in the party.
Adeyeye stated: “What we are very certain about is that Sheriff and his fellow renegades are being used by the enemies of the PDP to destroy the party and to prevent it from reorganising itself, so as to provide a credible opposition and alternative platform for the forthcoming Edo state gubernatorial election and 2019 elections.
“The All Progressive Congress (APC), has contracted Sheriff and his cohorts to scuttle the chances of the PDP in the Edo governorship elections.”
Adeyeye, who said they were still trying to understand the role of the police in the entire saga, wondered why the force did not arrest the thugs who openly brandished various dangerous weapons in and around the premises of the secretariat in full glare of the police.
“It is also curious that the police claimed to be acting on “orders from above” in allowing Sheriff and his cohorts to gain entry into the secretariat. If we may ask, who is the authority that issued the “orders from above”?
“We have credible intelligence that Sheriff had a meeting on Sunday night with an APC governor from North West, where it was organised that he would be given full security and financial support to exacerbate the crisis in the PDP, with the objective of preventing the
PDP from presenting a candidate for the Edo governorship elections, or in the very least to prevent the PDP from offering a serious challenge to APC whose electoral fortune has continued to nose- dive.
“We assure our teeming supporters in Edo state in particular, and Nigeria in general, that the party will take all necessary measures to prevent the party from being hijacked by political merchants.”
He explained that the PDP screening committee in Edo state, led by Chief Dan Obi, is far gone into their job, stating that Sheriff has no authority to set up a parallel committee or fix a different amount for the nomination form.
“The process for the election of the PDP governorship candidate in Edo state commenced yesterday with the peaceful and successful conduct of the ward congresses for the election of three ad-hoc delegates.
“We urge party officials who are involved in the conduct of the remaining exercises to remain focused and dedicated to their responsibilities. We are determined to produce a credible and strong candidate who by the grace of God will win the Edo Governorship elections.”
Adeyeye accused Sheriff of giving false impression that he had court orders empowering him to continue as PDP national chairman, adding that despite his bravado, he did not display or make available the courts orders to the gentlemen of the press.
“The truth of the matter is that Senator Sheriff has no court orders to back his claims. He and his cohorts continue to shop around to buy any court order at any price, but so far they have not succeeded. Thanks to the vigilance and integrity of the judiciary,” he said.
Countering the PDP, however, the APC said the party was suffering from past sins and urged it to do some self-cleansing.
The party’s National Secretary, Alhaji Mai Mala Buni, in a statement said: “For the umpteenth time, the APC wishes to state that instead of joining issues with the baseless and laughable allegations, the APC would rather join issues on matter that will bring about all-inclusive development to the country.
“However, it should be put on record that the PDP forced on itself whatever crisis it is troubled with today due to its politics of imposition and other undemocratic practices which the APC abhors.
“The PDP should put its house in order rather than playing to the gallery and blaming others but themselves for their sins which have come to hunt them. Also, it is evident that the PDP has chosen to employ diversionary tactics because of its inability to produce credible candidates for the forthcoming elections in Edo and Ondo states.”Meanwhile, PDP stakeholders, including governors elected on the party’s platform, Board of Trustees (BoT) and National Assembly caucus, would today meet to address recent development within the party.
The meeting is said to be contemplating legal action against Sheriff and his cohorts for the act of embarrassment caused it last Monday.
Others expected at the meeting include former principal officials the National Assembly.
Also, the PDP Governors’ Forum, in a statement by its Director General, Osaro Onaiwu, explained that though Sheriff was not invited to the meeting, the purpose of the meeting is to find a lasting solution to the crisis bedevilling the party.
He, however, said the party would have no other option than to go to court, if effort to address the situation was not met.
In a related development, a group, the PDP Rescue Concerned Youth, has threatened to take over the party if, after seven days its various organs did not resolve the leadership crisis.
Chairman of the group, Aderemi Olusegun, who issued the threat yesterday at a press briefing in Abuja, said they were saddened by the leadership tussle, and warned that it had started putting in place an effective structure to take over the secretariat.
He noted that they were “more worried that our leaders do not consider the effect of their actions on the forthcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states, which are likely to affect the fortune of the party.”
According to him, the group has set up an 11-man committee “to liaise with all the parties concerned and stakeholders as a matter of urgency, to resolve all disagreements in our party.”
He said: “We are deeply saddened by the unabated internal wrangling besetting our dear party. As concerned youths, we deem it necessary to come together to take a firm position in the interest of party members nationwide.
“We are giving the leadership of the party (which includes the BoT, Governors’ Forum), warring groups and other stakeholders) a seven-day ultimatum to resolve this intractable but avoidable rancour.
“However, if this is not resolved, we shall be compelled to mobilise all concerned youths nationwide to take over the affairs of the party, as we have started putting in place an effective structure to take over the party secretariat.”
