Sheriff Responds To PDP’s Decision To Hold Convention

The factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, says the decision of another faction of the party to go ahead with a planned national convention despite court order putting a hold on it is a slap on the judicial process.

Senator Sheriff claims the entire process has been hijacked by a few people who are working against the interest of the majority.

“Whatever they do, it is illegal and for me, it is not acceptable.

“We will continue… I will not recognise any of these gathering. I will pursue the rule of law until justice is done,” he told reporters in Abuja on Tuesday.

Senator sheriff insisted that the PDP was for Nigerians and must not be hijacked by one person.

He reiterated his readiness to give up the chairmanship, which he had continued to lay claims to, but gave conditions.

“I am ready today, tomorrow, if justice would be done. If elections are conducted in Abuja with people allowed to choose who they want as leaders.

“I will be prepared to hand over to that person. But unless and until we do that, I have a right and I have been elected by the NEC [National Executive Committee] for a specific period of time which will not finish until 2018.

“I do not want to be an impediment to the progress, but let this party not be taken over by one person. We cannot allow it,” he stressed.

Contradicting rulings have trailed the planned national convention.

While an Abuja court ordered the party to jettison plan to hold the national convention, another court in Port Harcourt, where the convention is scheduled to hold, asked the PDP to go ahead with the convention.

After the ruling, the Chairman of the National  Convention Planning Committee and Governor of Rivers State, Mr Nyesom Wike said the party would go ahead with the convention.