The chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi has faulted the position of the party’s ousted national chairman, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff on the party’s proposed national convention.
Sheriff had on Wednesday, written to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) seeking to stop the convention, billed to hold in Port Harcourt on August 17.
Sheriff had cited restraining a court order stating that the Makarfi committee cannot take actions on behalf of the PDP and that going ahead with the convention would amount to contempt of the said court order.
But in swift reaction Wednesday, the Makarfi committee accused Sheriff and his group of attempts to scuttle the planned convention and also to destroy the party as well.
The reaction, contained in a statement by the spokesperson of the caretaker committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, stated that the ruling by Justice Okon Abang which Sheriff relied upon was a mere narrative of the case pending before the Federal High Courts in the Lagos and Port Harcourt Divisions.
Adeyeye said, “It (ruling) did not set aside or nullify the judgment of Justice Liman which has authenticated the May 21 National Convention and the resolutions emanating therefrom.
“The said ruling did not anywhere direct INEC to do anything or not to do anything, to discharge or not to discharge any obligation; to perform any function or not to perform any function.
“In essence, it is a mere legal tale and the Order having been made without any application before him by either of the parties has no foundation in law”.
Justice Valerie Arshi had in another judgment, nullified the appointment of Sheriff as National Chairman of the parry.
“That judgment has not been set aside. It is still valid and subsisting. And no court of coordinate jurisdiction, including the Federal High Court, can make any other order with the intention of rendering that judgment ineffective,” Adeyeye added.
According to the Makarfi committee, the resolutions of the national convention which held in Port Harcourt on May 21, were confirmed by Justice Liman of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt on July 4, 2016.
Part of the resolutions was the dissolution of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the Sheriff led National Working Committee (NWC).
The resolution also affirmed the Makarfi led Caretaker Committee as the supreme body to run the affairs of the party until another pending the conduct of another convention within 90 days.
“That being the case, it was therefore the last convention that in fact convened the forthcoming one slated for August 17, 2016, and not the National Caretaker Committee parse. The National Convention is superior to all other organs of the party.
“We call on INEC to disregard the letter from the former National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and his cohorts. It belongs to the garbage bin. He is merely acting the script of his paymasters.
“The Caretaker Committee will continue with its dogged determination to organize the best National Convention in the history of our great party,” the Makarfi committee said.
