PDP crisis: Makarfi faction surrenders, recognises Sheriff as national chairman

by Dolapo Adelana

The leadership crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seems to have come to an end after the Senator Ahmed Makarfi faction of the party recongised Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff as the National Chairman of the party.

On Tuesday, the reconciliation committee of the party led by Bayelsa Governor, Seriake Dickson submitted its report to Sheriff at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja.

The Makarfi faction agreed Sheriff should chair the convention of the party being proposed for June 30.

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

“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.’’

After receiving the report, Sheriff said 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.”

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

It 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.

It 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.

While reading parts of the report, 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.

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