Mr. Ayodele Fayose, Ekiti State governor, has explained that he supported the sack of the former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff, to save the party from disintegration.

Fayose, who was one of the governors that were rooting for Modu-Sheriff to continue in office, said his support for the sack of the former National Working Committee (NWC) was to forestall the disintegration of the party.

“We cannot sacrifice the party for any individual,” he said.

This is as administrative staffers of the PDP were denied access to the premises of the national secretariat of the party on Tuesday by policemen who took charge of the place on Sunday following the leadership crisis that engulfed the party at the weekend.

Anti-riot policemen had on Sunday sealed off the secretariat of the party with two lorries and some Hilux vans with over 40 personnel.

On Sunday, the embattled former National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, who had planned to hold an emergency meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) with remnants of members of the committee, which had been pronounced dissolved at the party’s National Convention held on Saturday in Port Harcourt, was forced to find an alternate place because of the police invasion.

It was, however, learnt that the policemen were drafted to the party secretariat by the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, on the request of the PDP Governors’ Forum, who are backing the caretaker committee set up to run the affairs of the party for the next three months at the controversial convention held in Port-Harcourt.

The workers who started arriving at their duty posts in the early hours of Monday were denied access to their offices.

They were forced to take refuge at the staff car park beside Skye Bank to discuss the situation.

It was reported on Monday that the workers would be allowed access once there is proper identification.

But police high command yesterday issued a statement stating that the PDP secretariat was sealed up to prevent impending attack by thugs from across the country who were being mobilised to Abuja to threaten public peace and security in Abuja.

“This is sequel to the on-going intra-party leadership crisis in the party and further fallout of the recent political engagements of the party,” the statement signed by Olabisi Kalowole, Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) said.

The police statement said the plan was to “infiltrate Abuja and attack the National Headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party with intent to forcefully occupy the facility.

Fayose in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communication and New Media, Lere Olayinka on Monday said he supported Sheriff in good conscience.

?”But when it became obvious that his continuous stay in office as the National Chairman will jeopardise the collective interest of the party, I had no option than to support his removal.

“To me, the general interest of the party overrides that of any individual and there is no how I can stand in support of any plan to sacrifice the party for any individual.

“Anyone whose ambition threatens the collective interest of the party should be removed to save the party and that’s exactly what we have done.

“I therefore urge Senator Ali Modu Sheriff to accept the dissolution of the NWC and appointment of the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker  Committee in good faith and cooperate with other well-meaning members of the party to reposition it so as to achieve the much needed electoral victory in 2019.

“To Sheriff and other well-meaning members of the party, what should be important is the party and not the individual and no sacrifice should be too much for anyone to make for the party at this time,” the governor said.

Also, former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Abduallahi Jalo said the National Convention as the highest decision making organ of the party had the right to sack the former NWC headed by Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

Jalo said Sheriff and other NWC members should accept the decision of party elders in good faith.

?In an interview on Monday, the former deputy national spokesman ?said the tenure of the NWC had expired since March 19 and it is only the national convention that could have extended it.

?”The convention in Port Harcourt has, seeing the danger ahead, unanimously resolved that we should give way for peace to reign, and the party is more supreme than any individual in the NWC,”? he said.

Jalo who said he was not in Port Harcourt for the convention, however, said he has been discussing with Jerry Gana group and was in agreement with them that Ali Modu-Sheriff should go.

“His tenure has expired long ago, but he was only given the favour by the governors at the detriment of long serving members who laboured for the party. Now, he is sitting on the fence of illegality.

“If the convention had ratified him, he should have been given till that period of 2018, but since he has been sacked, he should thank God that despite the protest of so many people in the party, he was able to manage it.

?”The Gana group which has put Mantu and Adeniran as co-chairmen, we are all discussing, we are in touch and if Ali Modu-Sheriff is not there, all the bickering will be put to rest.  “And a former minister of special duties, Tanimu Turaki who is their scribe has been saying that they will accept any other party member but not Ali Modu-Sheriff,” he said.