PDP Crisis: Police bar Makarfi faction from meeting at ICC

The International Conference Centre ( ICC), Abuja, scheduled venue forthe Stakeholders meeting of the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led national caretaker committee (NCC), of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was yesterday sealed off by policemen, thus preventing
the meeting from taking place there.

The leaders of the party, upon seeing that the venue had been sealed off, quickly made alternative arrangement to hold the meeting at the private house of the chairman, PDP Governors’ Forum and governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, in Asokoro district of the nation’s capital.

The meeting, notwithstanding the initial hiccup, was attended by four serving governors, some former governors, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who led members of the National Assembly caucus of the party to the meeting, former Ministers, members of the Board of Trustees (BoT), key stakeholders and members of the other organs of the party.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital had on Friday accorded recognition to Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as National Chairman of the PDP.

The Police, in sealing off the initial venue of the meeting at the (ICC) though did not give any reason for their action, Daily Times gathered that the decision was based on the outcome of the Court of Appeal’s judgment last Friday.

The NCC of the PDP, however pointedly put the blame for the sealing off of the venue on the doorstep of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

The Makarfi-led faction, in a statement shortly after the seal off said, “Senator Ali Modu Sheriff in collaboration with the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government has barricaded the International Conference Center (ICC), venue of the scheduled stakeholders meeting of the entire organs of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“This is a very sad development in our democratic history where there is no longer free association and movement of citizens of this country.

“Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and his APC collaborators cannot stop the will of the people. Nigerians can now confirm that Senator Ali Modu Sheriff is a mole in PDP to destroy the only strong opposition in the country.

“All invited members of the party for the scheduled stakeholders meeting are hereby directed to proceed to the Ekiti State Government Lodge on T. Y. Danjuma Street, Asokoro, Abuja by same time, 2:00pm,” it said.

The meeting in Asokoro could however not commence until after 3pm due to the development.

The meeting led to heavy traffic congestion along TY Danjuma way, Asokoro, where it eventually held. The meeting, among others, resolved to challenge the judgment of the Court of Appeal at the Supreme Court as well as ask for stay of execution of the Appeal Court’s judgment.

The well attended meeting made it clear that a court cannot determine who the leaders of the PDP should be, stressing that it is the members that would determine who their leaders are.

The meeting, in a communiqué issue later and read by former Minister of Information, Prof Jerry Gana, said, “Following the repugnant attempt by Sen. Ali Modu Sherriff and other undemocratic forces to undermine and take over the Peoples Democratic Party, the National Convention of the party held at Port Harcourt on the 21st day of May, 2016 dissolved the then National Working Committee and the National Executive Committee and replaced the National Working Committee with a 7-member National Caretaker Committee under the leadership of Sen.

Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi as Chairman and Sen. Ben Obi as Secretary with a mandate to run the party and organise an elective National Convention as soon as practicable; “The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt in FHC/PH/ CS/524/2016 PDP & ORS. Vs. Sherriff & ORS in its judgment endorsed the decisions of the 21st May, 2016 National Convention, holding that the Convention did not violate any extant Order of the Courts or any provisions of the party’s or country’s Constitution.