PDP Peace Move Set To Fail As Modu-Sheriff Opts Out

Rotimi Akinwumi reports:

Abuja – The peace move initiated by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, in resolving the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is set to fail because of the refusal of the immediate past national chairman of the party, Ali Modu-Sheriff, to agree to amicable settlement of the crisis.

A dependable source within the party, told Independent on Monday that the Ahmed Makarfi led caretaker committee has concluded arrangements to meet with all the groups of stakeholders of the party towards agreeing on the representatives to be chosen to be part of the “Peace Committee” mooted by the IGP.

Modu-Sheriff, however, it was authoritatively learnt, has opted out of the deal, preferring to pursue the various cases he instituted in the court against the party to the end.

On Monday, a close ally of Modu-Sheriff told Independent that the embattled former national chairman of the party will not settle for anything less than the office of the chairman, “which rightly belongs to him until 2018 as said by the court”.

“We have no reason to join the so called peace committee suggested by the Inspector General of Police because it’s an absurdity for anyone to be negotiating his property with a usurper.

“The courts at different times have said it that Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff is the chairman of the PDP, and on this we stand. Let Senator Ahmed Makarfi and his co-travellers continue to deceive themselves. We are not moved.

“The beauty of the whole thing is that the power of the court will reverse anything the Makarfi team does in the name of PDP, and so, we are sure that very soon, the issue will be resolved and the enemies within put to shame.

“If Makarfi and his team are expecting anyone to come from our end to be part of the so called peace committee, they will wait for eternity.

“We know they are only looking for relevance, but we won’t give them the relevance by sending people to sit at a roundtable with them. Let them be aware that Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff is the chairman of PDP and he won’t give it up to any pretender under the guise of needless harmonisation”, the source said.

However, another source close to the workings of the Makarfi committee told this newspaper on Monday that the caretaker committee has actually not selected the members of its “peace committee” because it has not consulted with all the organs of the party on who and who should be selected.

It was gathered that the chairman of the caretaker committee, Ahmed Makarfi, has expressed the resolve of his committee to give peace a chance by stooping low to accommodate all interests in the party with a view to bringing peace into the troubled party.

However, the committee, it was learnt, has concluded that they will not choose anyone to serve in the “peace committee” until a proper meeting is convened having in attendance members of the Board of Trustees (BoT), the Governors’ Forum, National Assembly caucuses and other interest groups that have agreed to work together and are supporting the caretaker committee in the running of the party.

“The caretaker committee will surely constitute the four-man team as advised by the IGP, but the caretaker committee is not going to do things without proper consultation. I’m aware that the committee has started the move to ensuring that all necessary stakeholders are called to a meeting and a joint decision is taken on this.

“This is the mindset of the caretaker committee and I can tell you this without fear of contradiction.”

Prince Dayo Adeyeye, the publicity secretary of the caretaker committee, when contacted said the committee is committed to restoring peace back into the party.

Speaking specifically on the peace committee suggested by the Inspector General of Police, he stated that the committee will consult with all stakeholders in the party before arriving at the names of persons to be nominated.

According to him, the caretaker committee represents the interests of the party members and will not do anything that will bring the party into disrepute.

He, however, declined to reveal the identity of who may likely be nominated as he insisted that he can’t decide for the PDP as a political party, insisting that at the appropriate time, the names will be made public when they have been chosen.

He also debunked the report in some national dailies (not Independent) that the caretaker committee and Modu-Sheriff are expected back at the IGP office yesterday (Monday) in continuation of the peace move.

It would be recalled that the IGP had last Friday after a meeting with both men in his office suggested the setting up of the committee.

It was suggested that each of the groups should submit the names of four persons to serve on the committee.

However, the national secretariat of the party remained under lock and key as more mobile policemen were noticed drafted to the vicinity of the building, to provide security for the secretariat.

No one was allowed entry into the building on Monday while all administrative staff of the party stayed away from office.

Occupation of the secretariat became a ding-dong affair last week as loyalists of Makarfi and Modu-Sheriff serially outplayed each other in the struggle for the control of the secretariat.

But last Thursday, the loyalists of Makarfi succeeded in chasing away the loyalists of Modu-Sheriff, occupied the secretariat between Thursday and Saturday when the police moved in fully to take proper charge of providing security for the secretariat.

Source: Independent newspaper