Updated: Sheriff walks out on Jonathan, Ekweremadu, others at PDP peace meeting

National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ali Modu-Sheriff has stormed out of a meeting convened by former President Goodluck Jonathan to resolve the leadership crisis rocking the party.

This comes as the former president set up a 40-man committee comprising state governors, serving federal lawmakers and other party leaders to find a lasting solution to the party crisis.

While Jonathan noted that he will be chairman of the committee if he is available, he added that in his absence former Vice President Namadi Sambo or the former Senate President David Mark will lead the committee. The committee is expected to submits its report in two weeks.

Jonathan had summoned a meeting of party stakeholders at Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja in a bid to find a lasting solution to the lingering crisis in the party.

However, drama started after the meeting went into a close door session. Accompanied by his loyalists, the national chairman stormed out of the meeting in protest against the refusal of party members to allow him address the gathering solely as chairman of the party.

Sheriff, who arrived some minutes after the former president, had at the close door meeting, insisted that as the legally recognized chairman of the party, he should be the only person to address the meeting.

Sheriff and Ahmed Makarfi were listed to give good will messages alongside the chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) Walid Jibrin.

But while addressing newsmen immediate after leaving the hall, Sheriff maintained that he will abide by the recommendations of the Governor Seriake Dickson-led reconciliation committee which has proposed a national convention.

Sheriff said “We are here for PDP stakeholders meeting and the PDP has only one national chairman, which is Ali Modu-Sheriff. There is no PDP meeting that will take place under whatever arrangement that will not open the session as national chairman. Today, I’m the most senior member of this party”.

Responding to questions that his walk-out smacks of disrespect for the  former President, he said “I respect him (Jonathan) but calling for the meeting. He was a former President but as of today I’m the most senior member of the party. Therefore if I respect him, the respect must be reciprocated. You can’t call me for a meeting of PDP and say I cannot address the meeting as national chairman of the party.”

However, Jonathan, while addressing newsmen after a close door session, described Sheriff’s walk out as a minor setback which will be resolved after the committee submits it report in two weeks time.

In his breakdown of the committee setup he said ”
The committee will be chaired by any of us but we will consult widely. I may chair the committee or if I’m not there former Vice President Namadi Sambo or Senator David Mark may chair that committee. But if I’m around I will chair the committee.

*The BoT will select six people, one per geopolitical zone; Each of the blocks will bring six persons, one per geopolitical zone; All our governors will be members; Deputy Senate President, Senate Minority Leader; Minority Leader, House of Representatives and Minority Whip; two former governors from both groups, one from the North, one from South; two former ministers,  one from the North one from South; two women, one from the North, one from the South and two young youths.

“Within two weeks, they will come up with strong recommendations. And a smaller group larger than that committee will meet.”

By the time we came back, those minor areas that caused what we saw in the earlier part of the meeting will not be there again because all those issues must have been smoothen out. We regret that little situation we encountered.

However during his opening remark, Jonathan warned  that if the crisis persists the party might lose the forthcoming governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun States.

He also asked party members to shelve person ambition and make sacrifices for the party, adding that if the PDP is weakened it will become difficult to win elections on its platform.

At the meeting were governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers); Ayo Fayose (Ekiti) ; Darius Ishaku (Taraba);  deputy governors of Gombe, Ebonyi.

Former members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), including Uche Secondus; Olisa Metuh; Abubakar Mustapha; Abdullahi Maibasira, among other party leaders.