Hehehe....The Board of Trustees of the Peoples
Democratic Party on Tuesday, insisted that the National Chairman of the
party, Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, must leave office on May 21.
The BoT vowed to resist any move by the
former Borno State governor or his loyalists to extend his tenure
beyond the agreed date (May 21).
Acting Chairman of the board, Sen. Jibril Walid, stated this at a briefing in Abuja on Tuesday.
Walid spoke reacting to alleged moves
by Sheriff and other members of the National Working Committee of the
party to extend their tenure beyond May 21.
The National Executive Committee of the
party had at its meeting on March 7 fixed May 21 for the party’s
national convention when new national officers would be elected.
The convention is to hold Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
At the meeting, NEC also mandated the Sheriff-led NWC to set up four committees in preparation for the convention.
These committees are those of national convention, reconciliation, finance and zoning.
But Sheriff’s refusal to name the
members of the committees has fuelled speculation that the ex-governor
is planning to stay beyond his tenure.
Sheriff, the former All Progressives
Congress chief has also claimed that some members of the PDP wants
him to remain in office till 2019.
But Walid warned Sheriff against listening to those he described as “praise singers”.
He said, “I want to offer some advice
to Sheriff on the consequences of the machinations of praise singers
and prophets of doom on the unanimous approval of the PDP Governors’
Forum, national caucus, BoT and the NEC terminating his tenure and that
of the NWC on May 21, 2016.
“The above responsible bodies have
approved that the tenure of the national officers will end immediately
after the convention when the new officers are duly elected.
“The present NWC received an ovation at
the meeting of the national caucus, BoT and NEC by overlooking their
2017 tenure in support of the three-month approval of the respected
organs of the party which should strictly be complied with.
“Instead of listening to the praise
singers, Sherif should follow the path of honour and integrity by simply
taking a bow in May 2016 after the convention.
“The recent courtesy calls to the
national chairman and the presentations being made, especially calling
him to continue beyond the stipulated three-month tenure, is an
invitation to trouble, anarchy and the return of impunity to the PDP.”
Walid also warned on the dangers of not
adhering to the recommendations of the Ike Ekweremadu’s Post Election
Review Committee that the party should seek its 2019 presidential
candidate from the North.
He said this was done to compensate for
the alleged violation of the zoning arrangement in the 2011 election,
which led to a major apathy against the party in the north from 2011
culminating in its poor performance in 2015 general elections.
The party chief said the national
caucus, BoT and the NEC had already approved this recommendation by
unanimously zoning 2019 presidency to the North.
He said, “To change this decision now is
a further invitation to impunity, a lack of party democracy,
non-adherence to the party’s zoning principles, influence of
‘god-fatherism’, a lack of respect for the decision of constituted party
organs, self-imposition and killing the PDP.”
Walid warned that anyone trying to
reverse the position would “ever remain an enemy to the North, a
mercenary and killer of the PDP”.
He added, “The BoT strongly advises
Sheriff to respect his oath and acceptance of the powerful organs of the
PDP that he will stay for only three months, and allow his name to be
written in gold by honourably leaving the scene in May after the
convention.
“The BoT shall resist any move by
anybody to destroy the good foundation set by our founding fathers and
mothers and shall remain the conscience of the party.”
He said the BoT would meet next
week to further strengthen its position in support of the last decision
of caucus, BoT, and the NEC.
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