Vote of confidence passed on Makarfi, as Jonathan insists PDP is intact

Despite the verdict of the Appeal Court in Port Harcourt, which recognised Ali Modu Sheriff as the legitimate chairman of the party, a new twist was added to the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, as all its organs have passed a vote of confidence on the Ahmed Makarfi-led group.

Specifically, the party said it had filed for stay of execution, even as it indicated that it would appeal the judgement at the Supreme Court.

This comes as the party has condemned the police for preventing the Makarfi group from holding its meeting at the International Conference Center, Abuja.

Last week, an appeal court sitting in Port Harcourt ruled in favour of Sheriff and also declared the convention which produced the caretaker committee led by Makarfi as illegal.

But at an emergency meeting on Monday, organs of the party including the Board of Trustees (BoT), National Assembly Caucus, PDP Governors Forum, National Vice Chairmen, State Assembly Caucuses as well as ex-ministers forum threw their weight behind the Makarfi-led panel.

According to the party leaders, the National Convention remains the apex organ of the party.

“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 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 Ali Modu Sherrif, knowing that the only thing that can come from traitors of his ilk is nothing but a poisoned chalice and a Greek gift”, a communique read by former Information Minister Jerry Gana, reads in part.

Those who threw their weight behind Makarfi include Chairman, BoT Walid Jubrin, Senate Minority Leader, Goodwill Akpabio, Chairman, PDP Governors Forum and Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose among others.

Out of the 12 governors under the party’s platform, only four attended the meeting. They include: Ayo Fayose (Ekiti), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom) and Nyesom Wike (Rivers).

Others are Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, Senate Minority Leader Godwill Akpabio, his counterpart in House of Representatives Leo Ogor as well as former FCT Minister Bala Mohammed, BoT Chairman Walid Jibrin among others.

The meeting earlier billed for International Conference Center, Abuja was later moved to the private residence of the Ekiti State Governor at Asokoro, after police sealed off the initial venue.

Ekweremadu, who was particularly grieved at the sealing of the International Conference Centre, Abuja, said that 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 has been captured and now a part of the All Progressives Congress (APC). 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 his displeasure at what he described as the rise in political persecution in the country.

“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?” he wondered.

He 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 the outside.

Also on Monday, Sheriff met with former president Goodluck Jonathan at his Maitama residence in Abuja, where the ex-president insisted that there is no crisis in the party.