Sheriff who stormed the secretariat in Abuja as early as 7am, was accompanied by the immediate past national secretary, Adewale Oladipo and ex-national auditor Adeyanju Adewole.
He arrived in a convoy of over 20 vehicles, alongside some youths wearing T-shirts with the inscription: “Sheriff for chairman”.
The national convention of the party in Port Harcourt had on May 21 sacked the Sheriff-led National Working Committee and constituted a seven-man National Caretaker Committee, with mandate to oversee the running of the party and conduct fresh national convention within 90 days.
Although the police barricaded all roads leading to the secretariat, Sheriff and his convoy managed to reach the main gate before other policemen stopped them.
Speaking with journalists, he expressed surprise by the actions of the police, pointing out that a Lagos court had ordered the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, to provide him with adequate security while resuming office as national chairman.
His words: “The Party belongs to Nigerians and not the Nigeria Police or the people that were handpicked at Port Harcourt by Governor Wike and his cohorts as the man who purported to be acting as the National Chairman of the Party. There was no convention in Port Harcourt because I cancelled it.
“I don’t know why the police can say we cannot enter our offices when we have a valid court order to that effect. We will take this matter beyond the Nigeria Police, the law will take its course.
“When you are talking of a caretaker assuming office here last week, the caretaker committee was not known to the constitution of the Party while the Board of Trustees is only an advisory body in the Party, so none of the has the power to be running the affairs of our party. Ahmed Makarif-led Caretaker has no role here, it is an illegal body in the eyes of the law”.
He said he was still making frantic efforts to reach the IGP over the action of the Police while his supporters armed with various placards were drumming, dancing and displaying in the front of the secretariat.
As of the time filing this report, Sheriff had left the scene, promising to return. However, his supporters are still there, waiting for his return.
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