After four attempts and over two hour consultations with the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Solomon Aresa, former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, yesterday reclaimed the leadership of the party.
Sheriff, who stormed the PDP National Secretariat with about 300 thugs as early as 7:30a.m., was denied access to the premises by policemen from Wuse Police Station who were coordinated by a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Mr. Ciroma Bala. He came in company of the former National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo and former National Auditor, Adewole Adeyanju. But it was not until 1:30p.m., that the gate of the party’s secretariat was opened to allow them into the offices from which they were forced out about three weeks ago.
In an ensuing argument between him and police officers shortly after his convoy arrived the national secretariat early Monday morning, Sheriff told journalists: “The party belongs to Nigerians and not the Nigeria Police or the people that were handpicked at Port Harcourt by Governor (Nyesom) Wike and his cohorts as the man who purported to be acting as the National Chairman of the party.
One thing remains; there was no convention in Port Harcourt because I cancelled it. “I don’t know why the police can say we cannot enter our offices when we have a valid court order to that effect. We will take this matter beyond the Nigeria Police; the law will take its course in this matter.”
He frantically made calls to the Inspector-General of Police to instruct the DCP to allow him access, but Bala said he was acting on order from the above. After about two and a half hours of failed attempt to persuade the police to allow him enter the secretariat, Sheriff left for a meeting with the IGP, but with instruction that his supporters and the convoy should remain behind.
He left at exactly 9:35a.m. When he came back about 12 noon, he met similar brick wall. Police told him to dismiss the thugs, as they could be unruly. After 25 minutes of consultation with his men under a tree, Sheriff left with his convoy, but as a decoy to disperse the crowd. It was later discovered that he went to Legacy House, the PDP presidential campaign office located along Shehu Shagari Way in Maitama, Abuja where he easily gained access. There was reinforcement of police personnel to contain the army of thugs who came in not less than 50 Abuja taxis who were drumming bands and wore T-shirt with inscription “Guardians of Democracy!
Support Ali Modu Sheriff!” Sheriff’s invasion of the PDP national secretariat came barely five days after the seven-man National Caretaker Committee, led by former Kaduna State governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, took over the affairs of the party based on the decision of the May 21 Port Harcourt convention.
But apart from the former National Working Committee (NWC) members, no notable member of the party accompanied him to the office unlike last week’s formal takeover by the caretaker committee that was graced by about nine governors, Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and other party chieftains. Spokesperson of the committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, said the committee would react on the development today.
Adeyeye, who spoke on telephone, said the caretaker committee would study the development in the party before making a statement. Sheriff also read riot act to former NWC members who are supporting the caretaker committee, threatening to declare their offices vacant if they failed to change their mind. According to him, “The party constitution is very clear, you have right to re sign your appointments. There is a deputy to take over automatically.
All the deputies are waiting if by tomorrow, anybody that did not come, we ask the deputy to apply for that office and take over.” At a press conference shortly after assuming office, Sheriff said he remained PDP chairman till 2018.
He disclosed that the exparte injunction obtained by the caretaker committee from a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt that barred him from acting as chairman had lapsed after 14 days, adding that the caretaker committee was null and void because it was set up by an illegal convention. Sheriff also announced that the party had set up a committee to organise governorship primaries for Edo State. The committee is to be headed by Senator Hope Uzodinma.
He said the party’s governorship nomination fee is N10 million and not N16 million collected by the caretaker committee. “There is only one PDP; if anybody goes to buy form from any omnibus body called caretaker committee, they are on their own. PDP has spoken; PDP is only one party and we say our form is N10 million and we say they should go and pay the amount into the party’s account. If anybody goes and buy from some other body, he is on his own.
“The only people that would be screened are those who show evidence that they paid N10 million for their form and show to the chairman of the screening committee. People have the right to do whatever they want, I am not forcing anybody. “If the candidates paid to the national party account and present their evidence to the chairman of the screening committee, Senator Hope Uzodinma, that he was misled to pay N16 million, the balance of N6 million will be refunded,” he promised. He said the party was facing difficult times since the national convention was put off.
“I will, therefore, consider it the height of selfdeceit for anyone to pretend that the PDP is not in crisis, but also wish to assure you that we have been working round the clock to see how we can resolve the matter, without being on the wrong side of the law.
“It is public knowledge that, although there was an order by the Federal High Court in Lagos, declaring me the authentic National Chairman of the PDP, I have kept away from taking steps that could jeopardise the law, following an ex-parte order from the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt which had given a contradictory order, restraining me from operating as the chairman of our party notwithstanding some further orders from the Federal High Court in Lagos, specifically directing the Inspector-General of Police to provide me with adequate security to enable me carry out my duties.
“Now that the ex-parte order given in Port Harcourt has since lapsed on the 9th of June and has not been renewed or extended, it is now my pleasure and privilege to inform you that I have fully resumed as the one and only National Chairman of our great party, the PDP,” he added.
