The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Executive Committee (NEC) led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi, have on Tuesday moved against Senator Ali Modu Sheriff’s loyalists.
While speaking with journalists after the 74th NEC meeting held at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja, National Publicity Secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye announced the dissolution of the caretaker committees set up by the former national chairman in Jigawa and Benue states.
He said all other state caretaker committees set-up by Sheriff after the February 17 Appeal Court judgment that declared the former PDP leader as the “authentic” national chairman, equally “stand dissolved.”
Speaking further, he said after the Appeal Court judgment, Sheriff replaced the duly elected party executives in Benue and Jigawa and also tinkered with the party executives in some other states.
“All state caretaker committee set up after appeal Court judgment on February 17 stands dissolved. (But) If you are properly elected, we have no issue with that.”
Reacting to the sack of the caretaker committee chairmen, spokesman of the sacked NWC, Bernard Mikko said:“They (Markarfi group) are in charge of the party now. They can do whatever they like. They came with an agenda. I don’t want to join issues with them.”
Also, Adeyeye said the party resolved to hold its special non-elective National Convention on August 12.
The NEC, the second highest organ of the party consists of governors, select members of the National Assembly caucus in both chambers, the six national vice chairmen and state chairmen among others.
Explaining why the NEC decided to hold a special non-elective, he noted that at the last national convention in Port Harcourt, the tenure of the caretaker committee was extended by 12 months, which would elapse on August 16.
Adeyeye said it would be impossible to fulfil all the conditions stipulated by the party’s constitution for the holding of an elective convention between now and August 16, adding that the NEC also resolved to set-up a standing Disciplinary and Reconciliation Committees.
He assured that the Disciplinary Committee was not targetted at any party member or faction, adding that the party’s NEC also resolved to amend certain sections of the PDP constitution.
According to him, some of the proposed amendments, which have been circulated to the state chapters, would take care of issues of discipline, ensuring internal democracy and the penchant of party not taking advantage of internal conflict resolution mechanism before rushing to the court.
The NEC meeting, which is the first since the PDP crisis broke out on May 21, last year, was preceded by meetings of the Expanded National Caucus, National Caucus and Board of Trustees (BoT).
Speaking after the meeting, former president Goodluck Jonathan said the jubilation that greeted the Supreme Court judgment that sacked Sheriff and put an end to the leadership crisis was an indication that Nigerians still believed in the party.
He said if the leaders could get their acts together, the sky would be the limit for the party.
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