The Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi has offered to resign his position and called on the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff to also resign.
Makarfi said he was ready to resign, in line with the directive by former President Goodluck Jonathan asking him and Sheriff to step aside to allow the ongoing reconciliation efforts achieve results.
But Sheriff has declined, insisting that he would go ahead to conduct the party’s planned national convention, tentatively fixed for June 30 by a reconciliation committee headed by the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson.
The two factions traded accusations at separate media briefings in Abuja on Monday.
Spokesman of the Caretaker Committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye said Makarfi and Sheriff’s resignation would create a level playing field for the party to build trust and confidence in the members.
Adeyeye said, “We accepted President Goodluck Jonathan and the Governors’ comprehensive political solution. It called for the resignation of Senator Sheriff and the so called NWC and also the National Caretaker Committee to create a level playing field for all, and to build trust among all members.
“We in the caretaker committee have agreed to resign as directed by former President Jonathan and the governors, but Sheriff has refused.
“The agreement is then to be submitted to the Supreme Court as the judgment of the Court. This would have provided both political and legal solution to the logjam.
“But Senator Sheriff rejected it and has continued to insist that he would conduct a national convention even when he does not enjoy the trust and confidence of the vast majority of party members.
“It is therefore very clear who has a personal or hidden agenda. And I dare say, it is Senator Sheriff and not the National Caretaker Committee.
“The Caretaker Committee has stated severally that it will go anytime that it is asked to do so by the organs of the party. We have no personal agenda or interest and we will not stay a day longer than permitted by the critical organs of the party”.
Rebuffing the call for resignation, Sheriff, who spoke through his deputy, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, accused Makarfi of scheming to get the party’s presidential ticket for the 2019 election.
Ojougboh said it’s Makarfi’s presidential ambition that is stalling reconciliation efforts in the party, adding that it’s for the same reason the former Kaduna State Governor has opposed the planned convention under Sheriff.
He said, “Makarfi wants a situation where he will tailor-make the convention to suit his interest because he has come out to say that he will be contesting for the presidency of the country.
“We are very mindful that we are not going to tie our party around any individual. That is why Sheriff said he would throw everything open. That is why we are studying the position of the reconciliation committee and that is good enough to advance our party.
“The reason why the caretaker committee is protesting is that they have seen that the table is now crumbling fast under their feet. All the organs of the party are cueing into the reconciliation plan and when the reconciliation pulls through, they are out.
“After that, Senator Makarfi can only come as a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT)”.
Ojougboh further alleged that Makarfi’s opposition to the planned convention stemmed from a N50 million monthly subvention the caretaker committee has been collecting from the party’s governors.
“They know that the N50 million monthly subventions Makarfi gets from the governors will stop after the reconciliation and convention. They know that as soon as the ongoing reconciliation pulls through they will no longer exist”, Ojougboh said.
But Adeyeye described Ojougboh’s allegation as blackmail that is too cheap and too simplistic.
“This is a lie from the pit of hell and a very cheap and unintelligent attempt at blackmail. It is a known fact by all critical stakeholders of the party and even the staff that the National Caretaker Committee have from inception been hamstrung by inadequate finance.
“So much so that simple secretariat duties have been a struggle while we have been unable to pay staff salaries of just N18 Million a month. Members of the National Caretaker Committee do not enjoy any remuneration.
“It is a selfless service. It is therefore a figment of his imagination to say that the governors give the National Caretaker Committee N50 million monthly.
“The Governors are all alive and are free to come forward and declare publicly their level of contributions to the National Caretaker Committee since May 21, 2016”, Adeyeye retorted.
According to him, it’s normal for organs of the party to freely make contributions towards the running of the party, stressing that there is nothing illegal about in receiving contributions from party members.
“Our only regret is that these contributions have not been forthcoming as expected, given the heavy weight of responsibilities placed before us and especially the burden of having to deal with distractions caused by Senator Sheriff and his cohorts.
“Nevertheless, no matter how little, it is better to be funded by our party members than by the All Progressive Congress (APC) as is the case with Senator Sheriff and his cohorts.
“Dr. Cairo Ojougboh should tell us which APC Governor, Minister or official bought Jeeps for them? Governor Fayose has also made a public allegation that Senator Sheriff had received the sum of $1 million from the APC to organize a new convention. Senator Sheriff is yet to publicly refute the allegation”.
“The only thing that matters to Dr. ojougboh is his own selfish and personal interest to be Deputy National Chairman at all cost. If he is offered that position today by the party, he would not think twice to abandon Sheriff. He has no locus to speak or act on behalf of the party”.
Makarfi accused Sheriff of dodging service from the Supreme Court, as he has continued to avoid being served with cross appeal documents from the apex court.
He urged the party chair to make himself available to be served the court papers if he believed in the merit of his case.
“Finally, we want to ask why Senator Sheriff is running away from justice by avoiding service from the Supreme Court.
“This is very unfair from a man who has been using the court to further his own selfish ends. He should accept service and face his case squarely if he believes in the merit of his cause”.
Makarfi had approached the Supreme Court, challenging the February 17 judgment of the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal that affirmed Sheriff as chairman of the PDP.
