Peace may be far from returning to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as its factional national chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, maintained in Abuja on Monday that unless the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led national caretaker committee resigns, peace would not return to the party.
Mr. Sheriff said this was one of the conditions he set at a meeting he had with some governors and leaders of the party in Abuja last week.
He said that Governors of Taraba and Gombe States, Darius Isiaku and Ibrahim Dankwambo, along with 30 others?, were at the meeting.
Mr. Sheriff said he told the peace meeting that the resignation of the Makarfi committee, which he said had no place in the constitution of the party, was a condition for peace to return to the party.
He spoke while receiving members of Abia State chapter of the PDP from the 17 local governments who visited him to show solidarity.
They were led by Chidi Nwosu.
Mr. Sheriff said that the people needed to know that he is not the problem of the party, but some unnamed persons who he said were bent on making the PDP their personal property.
Mr. Sheriff said there would be no room for such when he remains the leader of the party.
He added that besides the resignation of Mr. Makarfi, he must be allowed to ?nominate the chairman of the party’s national convention and also nominate 10 others into the committee.
He said he was going to accept another 10 members of the committee from the Makarfi group.
Mr. Sheriff said, “I told them that the convention should hold in Abuja away from Port Harcourt (PH).
“These are the conditions to be met before I would speak to members of my National Working Committee.
“People are very interested in our party and how the impasse will be settled.
“Yes we have met, and issues were discussed, but all the issues I put forward for them was for the Makarfi Caretaker Committee to resign.
“Since it is an aberration as far as our party constitution is concerned, I told them that I am not ready to be a permanent chairman, but I want the party to be placed in proper stead.
“If he resigns tomorrow I will ask the members of my NWC whose tenure still lasts to 2018 including myself and set up a Convention Committee in Abuja and put respected members of leader in the World as members of the committee.
“In that convention, I will give away my mandate that will not expire until 2018. But until then, I remain the national chairman of this party until 2018
“If the leaders of our party felt that we can find a solution without exhausting the Court then I am open to it we can find a political solution.
“Nothing like what has been reported. If you do not stand on the truth, the end result will be a serious distraction.
“The convention committee that we will do – I will nominate the chairman 10 people, and the Makarfi group will present 10 people and plan a convention that will take place in Abuja. ”
The leader of the delegation, Mr. Nwosu, had earlier called on Mr. Sheriff to look into the congresses that were not properly held in Abia and make a decision that would correct the process.
