MEMBERS of the immediate past National Working Committee (NWC) have disowned embattled former national chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, who is insisting on retaining the post. 

Eight members of the NWC dissolved by the national convention of the party  held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, last weekend, dashed his hopes by resolving to back the national caretaker committee led by former Kaduna State governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, as well as all the decisions of the national convention. 

Those who signed a statement backing Makarfi on Wednesday were Prince Uche Secondus (former deputy national chairman), Onwe Solomon Onwe (former deputy national secretary), Victor Yusufu Kwon (former national legal adviser), Dr Kema Chikwe (former national woman leader), Abdullahi Maibasira (former national youth leader), Bolaji Anani (former national financial secretary), Alhaji Buhari Bala (former national treasurer) and Chief Olisa Metuh (former national publicity secretary). 

With this, those apparently still backing Sheriff remained former national secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo and former national auditor, Adewole Adeyanju, who along with Sheriff were co-plaintiffs in the suit challenging the conduct of elections into the national offices they occupied. 
The former national organising secretary, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha, was not among those who signed the  position which was conveyed in a statement signed by Secondus and made available to the media in Abuja, on Wednesday. 

“As products of the party’s national convention, we accept without equivocation all decisions and resolutions of the national convention of the PDP held at Port Harcourt, on May 21.
“The decision of the national convention dissolving the National Working Committee merely re-echoes our undeniable decision as members of National Working Committee to give up our tenures for congresses and convention to be held in May 2016.

“We recognise the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led national caretaker committee of the PDP and offer the committee all our support and cooperation,” the statement read.
In the statement, they also outlined the reasons for distancing themselves from Sheriff, saying that they were elected to serve in the NWC until May 21, 2016. 

According to the statement, they were sensitive to the mood of the generality of members of the party that election be held into national offices of the party to resolve lingering leadership issues in the party, which they said was openly communicated to the expanded national caucus at its 32nd meeting of March 6, 2016, held at the Ondo Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, adding that “our agreement is to give up our tenures for congresses and convention to be held in May 2016