Kaduna PDP Divided Over Markafi, Sheriff

There seems to be a crack in the Kaduna State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as its members in the state seem to be divided on who to support between the National Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff, and Ahmed Makarfi led National Caretaker Committee.

Members of the state working committee have unanimously thrown their support behind Senator Makarfi and described the Court of Appeal judgement that reinstated Senator Sheriff as a ‘miscarriage of justice’.

The committee gave the disapproval alongside other stakeholders of the party during a meeting held at the PDP secretariat in Kaduna State, northwest Nigeria.

Kaduna State PDP Chairman and a former Minister of Aviation, Hassan Hyat, told reporters that pending the outcome of the Supreme Court judgement, members in the state will pitch their tent with the Makarfi led committee.

“We support the position of the PDP stakeholders at the national level that the national convention of the party held in Port Harcourt on the 21st of May, 2016 actually dissolved the then National Working Committee and the National Executive Committee of the party, and replaced the National Working Committee with a 7-member National Caretaker Committee under the leadership of Senator Ahmed Makarfi as chairman and Senator Ben Obi as secretary to run the party and organise an elective national convention as soon as practicable.

“We stand by the judgement of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt which endorsed the decision of the 21st May, 2016 National Convention.

“We also view the split decision of the two justices of the Court of Appeal that sat in Port Harcourt on 17th February, 2017 which nullified the decision of the national convention of 21st May, 2017 and reinstated the Senator Sheriff National Working Committee as a miscarriage of justice and a complete negation of our party constitution”, Hyat said.

However, some members loyal to Senator Sheriff have come out openly to distance themselves from the position of the party executive in Kaduna State, saying they were not part of it.

The group, led by Senator Musa Bello, said the judgment of the Appeal Court must be respected by every member of the party, hence they are solidly behind Sheriff.