Tuesday, 26 April 2016

Modu Sheriff to G-84: I‘ll contest if...


AHEAD the National  Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in preparation for its national convention slated for next month, its national chairman, Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff has told the members of the G-84 of the party his determination to seek re-election at the convention.

Senator Modu-Sheriff, according to a competent source at the party’s national secretariat, made his intention known to the group, comprising all the state chairmen of the party, ex-officio, deputy national officers and the zonal vice chairmen at a private meeting he held with them Sunday night in Abuja.

The source stated that the national chairman set the ball rolling at the meeting by thanking the members  for making it possible for him to be appointed the national chairman of the party in February.

According to the source, “the long and short of the  meeting was to lobby the G-84 to pass whatever the Zoning Committee presented to NEC on Thursday, at the proposed NEC meeting,


He said he called  us to seek our support to contest for the party’s national chairmanship position if eventually zoned to North-East.

He said conveniently that only one governor was not supporting him yet and that 99.9 per cent of the governors and majority of PDP leaders were with  him in the bid to retain the position till 2019.

However, the Nigerian Tribune learnt the meeting was nearly marred by two factions of the party from the South-West on whether or not the national chairman should be zoned to the North-East or South-West

According to our source, trouble started when “the Senator Buruji Kashamu’s faction, led by the chairman of the Ogun State chapter of the party,  Bayo Dayo, claimed that those agitating for South-West  national chairman are minority and was countered  by his Lagos State counterpart, Captain Tunji Shelle, who told him that Buruji is not among foremost leaders of the party in the zone, though he is a leader in his own right.”

It was gathered that Modu-Sheriff, in his wisdom, calmed the warring factions and all the members to forget their differences and let the interest of the party as a whole be paramount in their hearts for the party to grow and face the challenge of regaining its lost glory.

Meanwhile, the Zoning Committee of the party headed by the Akwa Ibom State governor, Emmanuel Udom, will today, reconvene in Uyo, to take a final decision, which would be communicated to the National Working Committee ahead the NEC meeting slated for this Thursday, for ratification.

In a related development, initiator, Reformed Peoples Democratic Party in Oyo State, Alhaji Adebisi Olopoenia, has thrown his weight behind the position of Senator Buruji Kashamu, on allowing the incumbent national chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff to continue in office.

Olopoenia, while speaking with Nigerian Tribune at his Bashorun, Ibadan residence, pointed out that the best thing that could happen to the PDP at this point in time was to allow Senator Modu-Sheriff to continue as chairman of the party.

“Senator Kashamu was right by saying Modu-Sheriff should continue  in office as chairman of our great party. As far as I am concerned, none of those clamouring for the zoning of the chairmanship of the party to the South-West is capable of occupying the position.

 “I want to also state here categorically that the party has witnessed tremendous change since Modu-Sheriff became the chairman. Therefore, I will like all members of the party to toe the path of Senator Kashamu by allowing a notherner, in  the person of Modu-Sheriff, to continue as chairman of the party,” he said.

PDP on reconciliation mission —Modu-Sherif
National chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff, said the party has gone far in contact and reconciling mission with aggrieved members nationwide.

He made the disclosure on Monday in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, while addressing party members during his official visit to the state, to see and familiarise with the party members.

Senator Modu-Sherif explained that “the party has gone far in consulting the aggrieved members, who dumped the party for APC to return and there is development and good responses.”

According to him, “PDP is reviving and we are confident to regain our power at all levels,” he added, saying  the party executives wooed so many personalities; that very soon would be made public.

Modu-Sheriff maintained that worried with difficulties that Nigerians were going through under the leadership of APC, the party would do all its best to save Nigeria by taking over the leadership in 2019.

Addressing the crowd, the former Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, after observing the crowd,  said “who said PDP is dead in Jigawa?”

Lamido also said the party was working hard to woo the aggrieved members who made APC relevant and take over power.

The former governor said the gathering was mainly for the PDP leaders to visit their supporters in the state, adding that the grand rally would be organised in the state to differentiate between true and false.

Nigerians have discovered  that  APC  is a party of deceit —Wike 
Rivers State governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has declared that PDP  will take over the reins of  governance in 2019 because Nigerians have discovered that the All Progressives Congress (APC)  is a political party  founded on  deceit.

Speaking  in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, on Monday, during the PDP  membership mobilisation programme,  Governor Wike said judging from the mammoth crowd that turned up  for the event, it was obvious  that  there was no APC in Jigawa State.

He said  for tens of thousands  to troop out for an opposition event, it proved that there was no APC  in the state.

He said : “What happened  in 2015 had opened the eyes of Nigerians. Nigerians have lost faith in APC.  From what we have seen, it is obvious  that  Nigerians  were deceived. They have  seen the deceit of  APC and have returned to where they belong.

“They have seen the truth and they are back to their original party. The false stories of 2015 will no longer  be accepted and come 2019, PDP  will bounce back  to  power.”

The governor  added: “I am going back to the Niger Delta  to tell the people that PDP is fully rooted in the  North.”

In his remarks, former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, declared that PDP  was the antidote for the APC.

He said that PDP would provide answers to the developmental needs of Nigerians.

National chairman of the PDP,  Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff, said the visit to Jigawa State was to mobilise more people to register as members of the party.

He said: “There is PDP  in Jigawa State. APC is finished.”

The Jigawa PDP membership regiatration rally was attended by former Kano State governor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, former Kaduna State governor,  Ramalan Yero, members of  the  PDP  National Working  Committee, serving and former National Assembly members.

No comments: