Finally, Makarfi surrenders, recognises Modu Sheriff as PDP national chairman

At last, the Ekiti Governor, Ayodele Fayose and Senator Ahmed Makarfi have recognised Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the authentic national chairman of PDP

- The PDP’s reconciliation committee chairman, Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state, said that political solution is the best option in resolving the party’s crisis rather than litigation

- The Makarfi faction also agreed that Modu-Sheriff should chair the convention of the party being proposed for June 30

The leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has finally come to an end with the recognition of Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff as the national chairman of the party by the Senator Ahmed Makarfi faction of the party.

Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and Senator Ahmed Makarfi

This came to light on Tuesday March 7, during the submission of a report of the party’s reconciliation committee to Senator Modu-Sheriff by the chairman of the committee, Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja.

PM news reports that the Makarfi faction also agreed that Modu-Sheriff should chair the convention of the party being proposed for June 30.

Speaking with newsmen after submitting the report, Governor Dickson said political solution is the best option in resolving the party’s crisis, adding that litigation would continue to cause more divisions in the party.

Responding to a question on who would preside over the convention, Dickson said that the Court of Appeal judgment which upheld Modu-Sheriff as the national chairman of the PDP had already taken care of the question.

“If you go to the Appeal Court or Supreme Court and get judgment, you will still conduct a national convention, so political solution is be best option.’’

Responding after receiving the report, Sheriff said that the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) would look into the report with a view to implementing its recommendations.

“Looking at what you are proposing, in my mind, you have taken all the stakeholders of the party into consideration. There is no section of the party that you have left behind.

“If we as a people given the responsibility are to do this, we may not do better than this.

According to him, whatever amendment that will be done to the recommendations will be made available to the reconciliation committee and Nigerians.

Sheriff added that he was ready to conduct the national convention even if given one month to do so.

In the report, the reconciliation committee recommended that the party holds its national convention not later than June 30.

The committee also proposed that the convention planning committee should consist of seven PDP governors; seven senators including the deputy senate president, as well as 12 members of the House of Representatives.

Dickson, who read out some of the recommendations, said the committee also proposed that six members of the Board of Trustees (BoT), the state chairmen of zones, and six serving speakers of the State Houses of Assembly should be included in the planning committee.

“This should also include six former governors; former presiding officers of the National Assembly who are still members of the party; six prominent women leaders.

“Others are six youth leaders; six former ministers of the party and 12 others to be nominated by the national chairman in consultation with stakeholders of the party.

“We also proposed that the convention committee shall be responsible for the conduct of the elections into all national offices of the party including the zoning of such offices,’’ Dickson said.

Dickson said that the committee proposed that national officers who may claim that their tenure‎ still subsists beyond the proposed convention, had been requested to relinquish their claim in the interest of the party.

He said the committee views the proposal as part of the sacrifice to be made in order to reposition the party.

Dickson expressed the hope that the convention would enable the party to move forward.