How PDP crisis can be resolved, by Sheriff

One of the two factional National Chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff on Wednesday said that the crisis currently rocking the party will either be resolved through negotiations or judicial process.
Sheriff said this in Abuja while playing host to the executive members of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, chapter of the party, led by its Chairman, Hon Jeji Musa.
Senator Sheriff made it clear that the most important thing for now is to ensure that the PDP is returned to the people, who are its authentic owner.
The former Governor of Borno State said if the crisis within the PDP is to be resolved amicably through negotiations, himself (Sheriff) and the other factional Chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi will have to resign from their positions, while a neutral and non-partisan committee should be set up to conduct a national convention to elect new national officers for the party.
Sheriff recalled that he once invited Senator Makarfi to his office during which he made the proposal of a committee being set up to organise a convention for the party, pointing out however that the suggestion did not go down with him (Makarfi).
The former Borno governor and two-term Senator stressed however that if negotiations among the two factions failed to resolve the crisis, then the matter will be left for the Court of law to resolve.
The factional Chairman, who noted with regrets that he had been called all sort of names over his insistence that the right thing be done, maintained that PDP is bigger than both himself and Makarfi.
According to him, “My mission is to build the party and give it back to the people, the grassroot people. PDP must go back to its owners.
“I will not keep PDP a day longer than necessary. There is no name that i have not heard. Am not bothered about this.
“Only Nigerians should be allowed to determine who their leaders are. Governors or elected representatives should know that the people elected them and that they are accountable to them”, he said.
Continuing, he said, “If Makarfi believes in the PDP, then let the two of us resign and set up a committee and allow that committee to organise a national convention for the party.
“Enough of all this blackmail. We must go and chose our leaders. If Makarfi wants negotiation tommorow, we are ready. We will not allow a small group of people to decide our fate.
“Impunity must stop in PDP. Let the judiciary decide. In the absence of any negotiation, we will let the court decide on the crisis” he stated.
Speaking about the court cases instituted by the party, Sheriff said that he and his team have tremendous respect for the judiciary and the rule of law, stressing that it (the judiciary is the ladt hope of the common man.