The Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused the Nigeria Police and the All Progressives Congress, APC of joining hands with the party’s authentic Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff, to reduce the PDP to nothing.
At a media briefing in Abuja yesterday, the faction’s Spokesperson, Prince Dayo Adeyeye blamed the police for opening the party’s National Secretariat for Sheriff and his followers.
It further accused the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, of having a hand in its misfortune.
Recall that the secretariat was sealed by the police in June 2015 in the heat of the power tussle between Sheriff and the Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee of the PDP.
However, working with the Court of Appeal pronouncement which affirmed him the authentic National Chairman of the PDP, police last Thursday reopened the secretariat for Sheriff and his team.
Adeyeye, however, warned that the action of the police could lead to breakdown of law and order, adding that the police chose to obey the law only when it favoured Sheriff.
He recalled that the police refused to reopen the secretariat for the Makarfi faction when he won the case against Sheriff at the Federal High Court, but reopened the building for Sheriff for winning at the appellate court.
Adeyeye further disclosed that Makarfi’s camp had already filed an appeal at the Supreme Court challenging the Appeal Court judgment and as such, the police should ensure that the secretariat remained closed down until the Supreme Court’s judgment on the matter.
He said, “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.
“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 further alleged that the APC and some of its chieftains were already showing support for Sheriff.
He said there are plots by some members of the ruling party to support Sheriff through financial inducements.
He added, “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.”
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