Eight out of the 12 former members of the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party said that they had accepted the outcome of the party’s national convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, which dissolved their committee.
With this, the former NWC members have disowned the former National Chairman of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff, who is still laying claim to the leadership of the party.
Apart from Sheriff, the National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo and the National Auditor, Alhaji Fatai Adeyanju, are also still insisting that they are national officers of the PDP.
The three former officers are still contesting their removal from office by the Port Harcourt national convention in court.
The former eight members of the NWC said in a statement they jointly signed that they had resolved to support the party’s national caretaker committee headed by a former Governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi, to steer the affairs of the party.
The statement was signed by the former Deputy National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus; the Deputy National Secretary, Mr. Onwe Solomon Onwe; the National Legal Adviser, Mr. Victor Kwon; and the National Woman Leader, Dr. Kema Chikwe and other national officers.
They said that the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, whom they said was “indisposed on health grounds,” had also agreed with the resolution.
It was however not clear why the National Organising Secretary, Alhaji Mustapha Abubakar, did not sign the statement.
The eight former officers of the party said that the national convention had the powers to dissolve the NWC and therefore, all actions it took were in order.
The statement stated, “We recognise the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led national caretaker committee of the PDP and offer the committee all our support and cooperation.
“We enjoin the entire mass of the youths, women, elders, stakeholders and membership of the party nationwide to shun personal interest and cooperate with the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led national caretaker committee so that the party may move forward.”
When our correspondent spoke with Oladipo on the statement, he said he was not aware of it.
