A faction of Nigeria’s opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has blamed the reopening of its national secretariat for Chairman Ali Modu Sheriff on the police, which it accused of taking sides.
Besides, the party accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of having a hand in its misfortune.
The secretariat was sealed off by the police in June 2015 in the heat of the tussle between Sheriff and the Ahmed Makarfi led Caretaker Committee of the PDP for the control of the party.
However, acting on the strength of the judgment by the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal that affirmed Sheriff as National Chairman, the police last Thursday reopened the secretariat for Sheriff and his team.
But the Makarfi camp has warned that the police action could cause a breakdown of law and order, adding that the police acted in bad faith by allowing Sheriff access to the facility.
At a media briefing in Abuja yesterday, the spokesman for the Makarfi camp, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, said the police chose to obey the law only when it favoured Sheriff.
Adeyeye lamented that the police that refused to reopen the secretariat for the Makarfi camp when it won the case against Sheriff at the Federal High Court, reopened the building for Sheriff for winning at the appellate court.
Apparently in sympathy with the Makarfi camp, a group of women party members, staged a protest at the secretariat to denounce the reopening of the facility.
The workers stayed away from the office, in solidarity with the Makarfi group, which they insisted remained the authentic leaders of the party.
Adeyeye said the Makarfi camp had already filed an appeal at the Supreme Court challenging the Appeal Court judgment and such, the police should ensure that the secretariat remained sealed until the Supreme Court delivers judgment on the matter.
“In the light of the above, we are calling on the police and the general public and lovers of peace and democracy to ask Senator Sheriff and co. to respect the on-going litigation processes.
“The police should ensure that Sheriff and co. do not occupy the national secretariat in order to avoid breakdown of law and order. We have noticed that the police have taken sides in this matter, perhaps because of directives from the APC, but a stitch in time saves nine.”
Accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of complicity in favouring Sheriff, the Makarfi camp said the police and the APC had undermined the rule of law.
Deploring what he described as forceful takeover of the secretariat, Adeyeye said the keys to the main entrance to the building were given to the chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibrin, when the secretariat was sealed off.
“We know that the keys to the secretariat are still with the BoT but Sheriff entered by breaking the doors, in an action totally unbecoming of a person who has been governor of a state, senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and also claiming to be a National Chairman of a major political party. We therefore demand that Senator Sheriff and co. vacate the national secretariat immediately”, Adeyeye added.
Accusing the APC and some of its chieftains of acting hand-in-glove with Sheriff, Adeyeye alleged plots by some government officials to support Sheriff through financial inducements.
He said: “For the record, just last week, the Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, gave unsolicited advice that we should support Senator Sheriff. That is one instance of their meddlesomeness in the PDP affairs.
“There is no doubt that Okorocha and co. are happy that their man won at the Appeal Court but very much afraid that he could lose at the Supreme Court.”
“Also, we have it on good authority that the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, has deployed his former Abuja Liaison Officer who was a former Intermediate Officer of the party, Mr. John Enebeli, among others, to lure some members of staff in support of Senator Sheriff by promising them huge sums of money to offset their outstanding allowances.
“Senator Sheriff is equally luring some employees on the same jumbo promise. Let him recall that he made the same promise when he first assumed office only to dash the hope of the hapless employees.”
The rival Makarfi camp also alleged plans by Sheriff to receive faceless groups purporting to be executive committees of state chapters and declaring support for the party chairman.
According to the aggrieved group, the plot is meant to deceive unsuspecting party members and members of the public into believing that Sheriff has gained acceptance of the party’s organs.
“In the days ahead, the public will be treated to a show of pre-arranged solidarity visits by illegal or non-existent state excos.”
But in a swift reaction, a member of the Sheriff team, Dr. Ahmed Gulak, asked the Makarfi camp to stop blackmailing the Supreme Court ahead of the hearing of the appeal.
Also addressing the media yesterday on behalf of Sheriff, Gulak said the two parties had agreed not to pursue the case to the Supreme Court, insisting that there was an agreement to allow the case terminate at the Court of Appeal.
According to the ex-presidential adviser, the police sealed off the secretariat in 2016 on request from both factions, to avoid breakdown of law and order.
Gulak said: “Both parties agreed that in order to pursue genuine reconciliation, nobody should pursue the case again in the Supreme Court, because even if you get court victory you still need the people. So that we can have a convention where national officers will be elected.
“Supreme Court belongs to all Nigerians. They said they will get judgment from Supreme Court as if it is their institution. You don’t grandstand and blackmail the Supreme Court.
“If they are going to the Supreme Court, they should be calm. The law does not see your face. It is not a popularity contest; the law is the law.
Gulak observed that by virtue of the last judgement of the appellate court, all actions taken by the Makarfi caretaker committee remained illegal.
“Sheriff is still the chairman. He will lead the National Working Committee (NWC) to hold a unity convention. This party is bigger than everybody,” Gulak added.
He admitted that the protracted crisis had taken a toll on the stability of the party, adding that too much energy had been dissipated on internal squabbles.
