PDP crisis: Sheriff pulls out of Jonathan’s peace effort

The court recognised national chairman of the crisis ridden Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, has finally pulled out of the peace move being brokered by the immediate past President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

Sheriff announced his pulling out of the peace move to find solution to the leadership crisis rocking the party in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

The statement was signed by Sheriff’s deputy, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh.
Sheriff, in the statement, claimed that Jonathan had lost control of the meeting he convened and by allowing the
“dissident Makarfi-led group continue with their anti-party activities”.

The statement reads in part: “We are opting out and focusing our efforts at making the party the darling of Nigerians again.

“We had made tremendous progress before former President Goodluck Jonathan was asked by party leaders to convene a meeting where stakeholders will adopt the Governor Dickson Committee report on reconciliation. Unfortunately, President Jonathan lost control of the meeting he convened and allowed Makarfi group to continue with their anti-party posture”.

“All the organs of the party were already queuing up behind us and Jonathan came to unbundle the progress we made by his inability to control the meeting. We will not continue again but rather concentrate on rebuilding our party. We have also postponed the National Executive committee which we had earlier fixed for the 4th of May. A new date will be announced later”.

Continuing, Sheriff said: “Makarfi and his group are busy forming new parties so there is no need engaging with them when we know that they do not mean well for our party.

“High ranking members of the Makarfi Group like the former deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, has openly admitted that if they lose at the Supreme Court, they will move to another party.

“With such statements, it would be foolhardy for us to pretend that a genuine reconciliation is being pursued by these renegade members. We will rather concentrate our efforts at strengthening our party at the grassroots. The people at the grassroots still believe in our great party”.