Dickson warns against tinkering with PDP elected officers’ list

The chairman, National Reconciliation Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Governor of Bayelsa state, Hon. Seriake Dickson, has warned that nobody should tinker with the list of duly elected national officers of the party, pointing out doing so will cripple and destroy the unity and cohesion within the party.

Dickson gave the warning on Wednesday when he submitted the report of his committee to members of the Senator Ahmed Makarfi- led National Reconciliation Committee, NCC, of the party at its temporary secretariat in Abuja.

The report of the reconciliation committee, which has Senator Ibrahim Mantu as Deputy Chairman, had earlier been submitted to the national chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

The recent appointment of acting Deputy National Chairman, acting National Publicity Secretary and acting National Organizing Secretary, among others, for the party had been causing some disquiet from party members who maintained that Senator Sheriff’s leadership lacks the power to do so.

The Bayelsa governor pointedly warned against any hidden agenda within the party.

In his words, “we are also suggesting that we should take steps to ensure that we do not tamper with the list of authentic leaders of our party. In the first place, let’s make it clear that this party held successful local government congresses, ward congresses, except in five or six states, and NEC approved them before the dispute arises.

“We want to make it clear that for us, unless anybody has a hidden agenda, any officer of our party must be the officer elected before the May 21 Port Harcourt national convention.

“So, we condemn attempts made by anybody for whatever purpose to tinker with the list of elected officials of the party.

“That is an attempt to cripple and destroy the unity we have managed to establish, at the lowest level of the party, because our understanding is that the challenge we have is only at the national level and not at any state or zonal level. Those ones are being dealt with,” he said.

Governor Dickson, who stated that members of the reconciliation committee are realistic to know that there are some challenges down the line rightly or wrongly, within the party, added, “I am counting on you and other leaders to join us to resolve the crisis at the national level before we move to other levels.”

Continuing, Dickson said, “Now the party has challenges, the institutions are intact. The organs of the party are intact, they are not affected by the crisis and as such, they can play their role and their leaders are known.”

The governor pointed out that his committee has, among others, suggested that all national officers and all other officers at all levels “who claim either by court action or whatever to have tenures that will outlive, that will go beyond this convention, that all efforts be made to get written resignation.”

Responding, the chairman of the NCC, Senator Makarfi, noted that the reconciliation committee has addressed a lot of issues in its report, stressing however that the committee’s report is not an end product but a draft which is for the organs of the party to discuss.

Makarfi said, “I will strongly advise that the other organs should be able to come together and take decisions that will move the party forward. We are not in this position to sit tight.

“The organs of the party put us there and if the same organs see the proposal and accept it, the caretaker committee will also accept it. We do not have any proposal or agenda of our own other than the decisions of the organs of the party.

Some of the organs of the party will be given the report so that they will consider it to see what should be added or removed. Really, it is left for them to take decision on the matter and we will comply ” , he stated.

The caretaker committee Chairman used the opportunity to hand over the copy of list of authentic party executives from states, local government to ward level which he said was inherited from Sheriff.