2019 presidency: God will decide for me, says Sheriff

The court recognised National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, on Monday, disclosed that only God will decide whether he would run for the 2019 presidency.

This is even as Sheriff revealed that the position of the national chairmanship of the party has been zoned to the Southern part of the country, while the presidency for 2019 has been zoned to the North.

He disclosed this during a media briefing in Abuja. While reiterating that there is already understanding among party stakeholders that the presidency will go to the north, Sheriff explained that members of his NWC, whose tenures are still running, have the right to contest for any of the offices at the party’s proposed national convention.

Sheriff, a two-term Governor of Borno State and erstwhile Senator, pointed out that all the positions he had occupied in his political career so far, it is God that made it possible.

When specifically asked if he would contest for the 2019 Presidency after he had promised not to contest for the National Chairmanship of the PDP during its planned convention, the former Governor said: “Every position I had occupied in life, God made it possible. I am a firm believer in the will of God. I told you I will not run for the chairmanship position, the rest we will leave to God.”

The National Chairman said soon as the party concludes its ongoing consultations, it will set up a convention planning committee.

He stressed that as part of his consultations, he has been meeting with the party’s national ex-officio members from the 36 states while he is talking with lawmakers from National Assembly, State Assemblies as part of political solution recommended by the Gov. Seriake Dickson committee.

According to Sheriff, he has also commenced talks with the Board of Trustees through its chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin, who promised to get back to him in order for them to schedule a formal meeting with the members.

His words: “Everywhere in our party, we are working across the board; everybody is working for the party to come back to its position in 1999.

“We are for peace and that does not mean that we are afraid of anybody; we will not be relenting, we need our party back in power and we will carry everybody along that mean well for PDP.

“I assure you that PDP will not be destroyed; PDP is a creation of God and cannot be destroyed by anybody. We are on course and we will go as planned. For everybody that believe that it is not political solution, they are on their own”.