At
least five of the 11 governors in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are openly
engaged with the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff leadership of the party.
The
gains by the Sheriff tendency in the party came as Governor Seriake Dickson of
Bayelsa State asked factional chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, to step down his
claim upon the reality of the Court of Appeal judgment upholding Sheriff as
national chairman.
Besides
Governor Dickson, who is the chairman of the party’s Peace and Reconciliation
Committee, Governor Dave Umuahi of Ebonyi State, Governor Ben Ayade and the
party’s two Northern governors were also said to have tilted support towards
Senator Sheriff.
Governor
Umahi was said to have technically given recognition to Sheriff after he got
the later to endorse the party’s candidates for the forthcoming local government
elections in Ebonyi State. Besides a statement from Cross River State chapter
of the party endorsing Sheriff, Governor Ayade has also openly appeared with
Sheriff in public engagements.
Meanwhile,
Governor Dickson who asked party leaders to accept the Court of Appeal judgment
vesting leadership on Sheriff, in an interview in Abuja, said the crisis
rocking the party was fuelled by the selfish desire to control the party ahead
of the 2019 elections. He warned that the interest of the party should be
placed above selfish ambitions.
The
governor, who has been attacked by the Makarfi faction for turning the report
of his committee to Sheriff, pointed out that it would have been wrong for his
party to have done otherwise given the legal status vested on Sheriff by the
Court of Appeal judgment.
Dickson
pointed out that though he was not a supporter of Sheriff, he said he was
compelled by the rule of law to accept him as the national chairman based on
the court order and in the overall interest of the PDP.
The
governor said it was appalling for many leaders in the party, who claimed to be
democrats to treat the court verdict recognising Sheriff as the national
chairman of the PDP with disdain, pointing out that such disposition would lead
to the collapse of the party, if not checked.
Sheriff
moves to stop Makarfi from challenging PH ruling
In
a motion for discontinuance filed by Senator Sheriff and Professor Wale
Oladipo, secretary of the party, the duo argued that Makarfi lacked the legal
ground for such appeal.
He
has, therefore, applied to the apex court for the withdrawal of an appeal filed
in the name of the party by the Ahmed Makarfi-led faction.
Senator
Makarfi had in an appeal with number SC.133/2017 filed on February 27, 2017,
challenged the February 17, 2017 judgment of the Port Harcourt Division of the
Court of Appeal which restored Sheriff-led executive as the authentic
leadership of the party.
Sheriff’s
motion of discontinuance, which was filed through their lead counsel, Chief
Akinlolu Olujinmi (SAN), noted that by virtue of the Court of Appeal’s
judgment, Makarfi and other members of his faction were not the alter ego of
the party and as such, were incompetent to institute any legal process in the
name of the party.
Source:Vanguard
Tags
Politics