PDP: Sheriff, Makarfi bicker over appeal at Supreme Court

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, and the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee (NCC), on Tuesday, accused each other of plan to blackmail the Supreme Court in respect of the appeal filed by the latter in respect of the judgment of the Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The Court of Appeal had, in its judgment, accorded recognition to Senator Sheriff as the National Chairman of the PDP.

The Makarfi-led NCC had filed an appeal at the Supreme Court to challenge the decision of the Court of Appeal.
While speaking at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Cairo Ojoughboh, who spoke on behalf of Sheriff, accused the NCC led by Makarfi of blackmailing the apex court by boasting that they are in control of the Supreme Court.

Cairo, a medical doctor and former member of the House of Representatives, said: “It is worthy of note today that the same groups of impunity peddlers have now resorted to boasting that they are in control of the Supreme Court and that the judgment rejected by the Court of Appeal will be adopted by the Supreme Court.

“This same judgment that they paraded as the Court of Appeal judgment is what they have now claimed that the Supreme Court will uphold for them.

“We make bold to say nobody can buy the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court cannot be bought, and that the Party has implicit confidence in the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Samuel Walter Onnoghen and his colleagues in the Supreme Court.

“We state categorically that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), His Lordship, Justice Samuel Walter Onnoghen’s leadership is second to none and he will protect the Judiciary bearing in mind his antecedents especially the dissenting judgment against President Yar’Adua in the 2011 general election”, he said.

However, the Makarfi-led NCC, which spoke through its National Publicity Secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, on Tuesday, pointed out that it is Sheriff and his group that are trying to blackmail the Supreme Court.

Adeyeye said: “They are blackmailing the Supreme Court the way they blackmailed the Court of Appeal in the Ondo governorship election case last year when they wrote baseless petitions against the Justice Sankey panel which was forced to rescue itself.

“They did the same against the second panel for which the Supreme Court awarded costs of over N20 million against them and their lawyers”, he said.

The National caretaker committee also accused Sheriff of using his presidential ambition come 2019 to do everything to ruin the PDP.

Prince Adeyeye pointed out that that was the main reason why Sheriff was hell bent on organising a national convention for the party so that he could install his cronies who will in turn help him to achieve his presidential ambition.

According to Adeyeye, “The National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wishes to draw the attention of all Nigerians to the confessions made on Monday by Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff who brazenly explained why he’s holding our party to ransom.

“While addressing newsmen, as he continues to illegally occupy our party secretariat with the backings of the APC Government. The former Borno State Governor clearly stated that he’s interested in contesting the 2019 Presidential Elections using the platform of our party, the PDP.

“We said it earlier, but most none party members as well as some members of the party who could not see beyond the curtains didn’t believe it, but we were sure that Senator Sheriff was holding the party to ransom because he wanted to hijack the party and use it for his selfish interest.

“Now, the truth has been revealed. Senator Sheriff has told the entire world that his fight for the soul of the PDP was to achieve a set objective which he has been working towards since January 2016 when he was appointed to office just to complete the tenure of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur cum Adamu Muazu who resigned having led the party to electoral failure in 2015.

“The stories in the newspapers today (yesterday) were clear enough. For the records, he was asked if he would contest the 2019 Presidential Election and he responded “….I only told you I wouldn’t run for chairman at the convention. The rest we will leave it for God to decide. What a clever way to announce his presidential ambition!

“The National Caretaker Committee had raised the concern that Senator Sheriff was not interested in conducting a Convention that will be in the interest of the party and all party members but was planning a Convention that will put his cronies in critical party positions who will then rubber-stamp his candidacy when the time to pick the PDP candidate for 2019 Presidential Election comes.

“We are worried that some important party leaders also could not see beyond the facade, tagging along with Senator Sheriff as he drags the party through the mud in his bid at achieving his selfish ambition.

“We hope perceptible minds in the party can now see why it is extremely dangerous to trust Sheriff with the organisation of any convention.

“We know quite well that a Sheriff as the presidential candidate of the PDP will be a real delight for the APC. That’s as good as having your sparring partner as your opponent in a major bout.

“We want to make a serious contention for power in 2019. We don’t want to field a candidate who is the captain of the second team of the Ruling Party”, Adeyeye said.