By Emeka Nze
Abuja
Preparations towards the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national convention will commence in the first week of next month.
Chairman of the national caretaker committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, stated this yesterday in Abuja when chairmen of PDP in 24 states paid a solidarity visit.
\The national caretaker committee members noted that his committee would have started the formation of committees to this effect, but were still awaiting the peaceful resolution of the crisis in the party.
Makarfi said the visit of the 24 states chairmen was a loud testimony of where the support base of the people lied, but noted that his committee was not working to witch-hunt anybody or group but to carry out the mandate given to the committee.
He said: “We in the caretaker committee we are not here to witch-hunt, we are not set up in order to go after anybody. We are not set up to dissolve this or that. If there are problems we can sit down and resolve, then we can sit down as a family and resolve it.
“We reject the insinuation that we are here for feather political interest. We are only here to facilitate peaceful reconciliation and to create a level playground and to organise national convention.”
He stated that before it embarks on its three-month task, it would ensure that peace returned to the party, calling on Senator Ali Modu Sheriff to also to toe the path of peace.
The caretaker committee chairman urged party members to refrain from insinuations that visitations by party members to his caretaker committee or to Sheriff is aimed at further dividing the party, saying that party men and women were free to visit anybody with the ultimate goal of returning peace in the party.
He stated that the visit of the 24 chairmen was a welcome development while noting that there were seven other states with inconclusive congresses, adding that what is happening in the party is unfortunate but an indication that the party is alive and ready to win more states as well as take power at the centre.
Makarfi said: “It is unfortunate what is happening but equally it is good in the sense that PDP is alive, PDP is potentially a party people love and is party like a government in waiting. If it is not worth anything nobody will struggle over it.
“We must not over stretch this fact for too long because this is injurious to the party and can affect the fortunes of the party in the long run, not only in our attempt to retain the states we have but also winning the states we lost and capturing power at the centre.
Earlier, the PDP chairman in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhaji Yunusa Suleiman, who led the delegation, said all the state chairmen of the party were uncomfortable with happenings and, therefore, resolved to abide by the decision of the Port Harcourt convention which appointed the Makarfi committee.
According to him, the convention was the product of National Executive Committee (NEC) decision under the chairmanship of Sheriff stating that there was no court order restraining the conduct of the convention.
He said: “As states chairmen of our political parties we are not comfortable with what is going on With our party particularly at the national level.
“We attended the last NEC which was held on May 17 which was presided by SAS an which approved the last national convention held in River state on the 21 May.
“The tenure of our national officers terminated on May 21, 2016. Just like nature abhors vacuum, the party invoked the power invested on it under section 33 sub 5 of the constitution and dissolved the then executive led by Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and set up a national caretaker committee headed by Sen. Ahmed Makarfi to drive the affairs of the party forward.
“They are also to organise a national convention to the party to elect fresh national officers to run the party.
“In view of the above, we as state chairmen wish to re-affirm that the decisions of the May 21 convention.
“While we appreciate the enormous services and contributions of Senator Sheriff during his tenure in office, we wish to appeal to him to accept the decisions of the Port Harcourt convention of May 21, 2016, which was convened by NEC under his leadership, believing that other opportunities may arrive in the future for him to serve the party in great capacity.”
Meanwhile, the PDP Committee on the Edo primary election headed by Governor Dave Umahi of EBONYI state submitted its report.
Commending the Committee, Senator Makarfi said called for elections in the country to commence on time so that they can finish on time as was done by the PDP committee in the Edo gubernatorial primaries.
