•Jonathan
Governors, others insist on caretakersWhy we stopped meeting, by police
Former President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday endorsed
Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the National Chairman of the
troubled Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
But the party’s key stakeholders, including governors, Board of
Trustees (BoT) members, National Assembly Caucus and
former ministers, passed a vote of confidence in the Ahmed
Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee.
Jonathan’s endorsement came amid protests by the Ahmed
Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee and other critical organs of
the party against the Appeal Court’s ruling that affirmed
Sheriff’s chairmanship.
Receiving Sheriff and members of his team at his Maitama,
Abuja residence yesterday, Jonathan, who kept addressing
Sheriff as “my chairman”, said there were no factions in the
party.
Speaking after a closed door meeting with Sheriff and his team,
Jonathan said: “We are not factionalised. We are one. There
are bound to be differences in politics. We cannot run away
from that.
“It is the way we resolve these differences that makes us
human beings and that is what makes us leaders. I have met
with Sheriff. And I have met with others. I will still meet with
others, so that we will be able to do what is expected of us as a
political party.”
Also speaking after the meeting, Sheriff said his mission was to
unite the party and place it on a sound footing to provide
credible opposition to the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led
Federal Government.
Saying he was still consulting, Sheriff stressed that there could
be only one national chairman, adding: “We are putting
everything together to ensure that the party is united.”
“We are not fighting and this is no time to join issues with
people. We want everybody to come back to the party. Very
soon I will get back to you when I finish my consultations. I
won’t tell you anything before I finish consultations.”
He added that the constitution of the party does not recognise a
caretaker committee.
“There is only one PDP and there is only one national
chairman. A group of people has the right to sit and discuss as
only a group of people but not as PDP. If I go down to their
level to exchange words with them, then I would not be
different from them.
“We don’t have anything like caretaker committee in our party.
As father of the party, I will make sure everybody is united. I
will make sure that everybody gets what they want in PDP.
“By the time I finish my convention, Nigerians will know that we
mean well for the party,” Sheriff said.
At the enlarged stakeholders’ meeting convened by the
Caretaker Committee, party chieftains took turns to denounce
Sheriff, vowing to pursue the leadership tussle to the Supreme
Court.
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu decried what he
described as the manipulation of vital institutions of democracy
and radical decline of democratic freedoms in the country.
Ekweremadu, who also attended the meeting of the Makarfi
camp, said the solidarity of all key organs and bodies of the
PDP towards the Makarfi-led PDP National Caretaker
Committee showed that “it is not the hood that makes the
monk”.
Peeved by the sealing of the International Conference Centre
(ICC) , the venue earlier announced for the meeting,
Ekweremadu said “such flagrant manipulation of critical
institutions of democracy was not only dangerous, but bad
news for the nation’s democracy”.
He said: “We are aware that all the institutions of democracy
are being manipulated and harassed in this country. The
National Assembly and the press are not left out.
“The INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) has
been captured and now a part of the All Progressives Congress.
Our judiciary is being insulted and assaulted everyday. Their
houses are being attacked very late at night and the judges are
being harassed.
“So, we are not surprised at what we are seeing today (sealing
of meeting venue). But what remains is for us to remain
resolute.”
He expressed displeasure at what he described as the rise in
political persecution in the country and enjoined PDP members
to remain strong, as the party would work with Nigerians to
restore true democracy and hope to the people.
The lawmaker urged party members to remain resolute and
protect the soul of the PDP and the nation’s hard-won
democracy, insisting that the party leaders were made by the
party faithful, and could never be imposed from outside.
He continued: “If you look around this room, you will see a lot
of people who are being harassed, persecuted, and taken to
court. What is their offence?
“They claim they allegedly received stolen property, yet nobody
has been arraigned for the actual stealing. As a lawyer, I know
that if you are being arraigned for receiving stolen property, you
must first of all arraign the man who stole the property. That is
not so in our own case. Is that democracy?”
“We have heard there was a judgment in Port Harcourt. Now,
those who benefitted from the judgment, where are they? Are
they with our former ministers? Are they with our National
Assembly members? Are they with our governors? Which organ
of the party are they with or is with them? The truth is that it is
not the hood that makes the monk”.
“I believe that with determination and sticking together, we will
triumph and Nigeria will be better for it”.
Ekweremadu also decried the worsening economic conditions
in the country, noting that all APC promises had been kept in
the reverse order.
“They told us that one U.S dollar would be one naira when they
take over. Has that happened? Today, our currency is the worst
currency in the whole of Africa.
“Is that the type of democracy we looked forward to? I can see
a situation where the price of oil is going up and the value of
naira is going down. What type of economics is that?”.
Makarfi vowed that Nigerians had not seen the end of the
matter, adding that the Court of Appeal judgment that affirmed
Sheriff as chairman was faulty.
“As it happened in Port Harcourt, so it happened here. This is
not the last. It’s an aberration to stop people from associating.
When PDP was in power, it could have stopped the formation of
the APC. The principle that people should be given a choice to
participate in democracy should be encouraged.
“We know what happened in Port Harcourt when the court gave
its verdict. The type-written judgement is the main judgement
but the hand written judgement, we don’t know what
happened.”
Makarfi said the Caretaker Committee had approached the
court for an injunction to allow the committee to continue
pending the determination of the cross appeal at the Supreme
Court.
A communique issued at the end of the meeting stated that
while the party held the judiciary in the highest regard, the
decision of the Court of Appeal was greeted with consternation,
not only amongst leaders and members of the party in Nigeria,
but also true lovers of democracy in Nigeria and the world over.
Among the resolutions reached at the meeting was that the
PDP remained united, strong, resolute, steadfast and solid
under the leadership of the National Caretaker Committee, in
view of the fact that the Court of Appeal is not the final court on
the matter.
The communique added: “All members, leaders and organs of
the party, including but not limited to the Board of Trustees, the
Governors Forum, the National Assembly Caucus, PDP Former
Ministers Forum, National Vice Chairmen, State Chapters
represented by the Conference of State Party Chairmen,
Leadership of State Assembly Caucuses and teeming members
nationwide, stand resolute that authority to lead the PDP, and
indeed any party, solely and exclusively derives from the
consent of members at plenary.
“PDP members freely and clearly expressed themselves on the
21st May 2016 at the Port Harcourt National Convention and
we stand by the decision given that the National Convention is
the highest decision-making organ of the party.
“That we fully endorse the prompt and proactive decision of the
National Caretaker Committee to lodge an appeal to the
Supreme Court of Nigeria against the decision of the Court of
Appeal as well as filing an application for injunction pending
appeal of which was done in the morning of Monday 20th
February 2017.
“Our abiding faith in the capacity of the judiciary to protect
Nigeria’s democracy and political aspirations of the Nigerian
people, particularly at the level of the Supreme Court, proven
repeatedly over time, is aided by the profound, fearless,
irrepressible, comprehensive and insightful minority decision of
T. N. Orji-Abadua, J. C. A. in CA/PH/349/2016 SHERRIF &
ORS. VS. PDP & ORS., whom we salute for doing the judiciary
proud in spite of the predatory interferences of anti-democratic
forces and state actors.
“That having duly filed both an appeal to the Supreme Court
and an application for Injunction Pending Appeal in the morning
of Monday the 20th February 2017, we pass a resounding and
unqualified vote of confidence in the leadership of the Sen.
Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee
of the Peoples Democratic Party and pledge our unalloyed
support to it as it pilots the affairs of the party in this critical
transitional period of the party’s life.
“To this end, we are not at all deceived by the supposed olive
branch being offered by Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, knowing that the
only thing that can come from traitors of his ilk is nothing but a
poisoned chalice and a Greek gift.
“The meeting reiterates that the party’s Constitution stipulates
the process of democratically electing officers of the party and
therefore emphatically rejects any imposition such as those
being illegally paraded as officers of the party by Sen. Ali Modu
Sherrif.
“That stakeholders and leaders of the party are enjoined to
return to their geopolitical zones, states, local governments and
wards to convene meetings of the party and disseminate the
foregoing to members.
“True party men are urged to remain calm, steadfast, loyal
even in the face of wanton provocation of sealing off the venue
of a peaceful assembly of stakeholders. We remain committed
to the ideals of the party which stands us out as democrats.
“The meeting agreed to appeal to all Nigerians to fully support
the Peoples Democratic Party, a genuinely democratic party
that is people oriented and a great defender of equity, justice
and fairness to all in its commitment to eradicating poverty,
hunger and under-development from our country.”
Police: why we stopped meeting at ICC
The Police yesterday said they did not bar Ahmed Makarfi’s
group from holding a meeting in Abuja.
The police said they got intelligence report of an impending
breakdown of law and order.
A statement by the FCT Police Command Spokesman Anjuguri
Manzah., said: “The attention of the FCT Police Command has
been drawn to an online report subscribing that Police bar
Makarfi faction of PDP from using the International Conference
Centre (ICC) for a meeting.
“The report was misleading, malicious and capable of
misinforming members of the public on the statutory roles of
the Nigeria Police Force to restore law and order, and guarantee
the protection of lives and property throughout the country.
“The story is absolutely a shadowy imagination of the writer
and should be disregarded.
“Credible Intelligence at the disposal of the FCT Police
Command indicated that the two factions i.e. the Ahmed
Makarfi Group and the Ali Modu Sheriff Group scheduled to hold
their meetings at the International Conference Centre (ICC)
today and this can lead to serious clash and breach of Public
peace.
“The Command did not close down the International
conference Centre nor barred the Makarfi faction of PDP from
using the ICC for meeting as alleged in the report but intervened
to prevent a breakdown of law and order by advising the
Management of the ICC not to allow any of the group to use the
place for any meeting. However, the Command provided visible
security for the Ahmed Makarfi Group when they relocated to
Ekiti State Government lodge in Asokoro, Abuja despite not
been informed.
“To this end, the FCT Police Command wishes to assure the
media of its support and cooperation to ensure law and order,
crime-free society and credible reportage.”
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