After several hours of battle with security men, former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ali Modu Sheriff, has finally gained entry into the PDP headquarters in Abuja.

Mr Sheriff had led his group to storm the Wadata Plaza national secretariat of the PDP but was initially prevented from going in by armed policemen.

Speaking with journalists outside the party’s headquarters, Sheriff said that he remains chairman of the party

The former Senator added that the court does not recognise the constitution of a caretaker committee.

Senator Sheriff, who was at the secretariat with the party’s national secretary and national treasure, said: “As you may be aware, that we have been facing some challenges since we put off the national convention in Port Harcourt last month.

“We, therefore, consider it the height of self-deceit for anyone to pretend that the PDP is not in crisis.

“But I want to assure you that we have been working round the clock to see how we can resolve the matter without being on the wrong side of the law.

“All the judgments that are available today recognise us as the sole chairman of this party.

“We have a court order in our hand to allow us to go into our office but the inspector general of police, after having a truce with him that nobody should be allowed until we have decided, he decided to take the law into his hands and allow the wrong people,” he told a gathering of supporters at the secretariat.

Mr Ali Modu Sheriff removed at a convention held in Port Harcourt in southern Nigeria on May 21, with a caretaker committee set up to co-ordinate the affairs of the party.

The Caretaker Committee headed by a former Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, was mandated to elect a new National Working Committee for the party within three months.

After his removal, the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, said that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP, which Senator Sheriff led, was dissolved to save the party.

The opposition party is struggling to regain popularity after it lost power to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 presidential election. (Channels TV)

•Photo shows Ali Modu Sheriff.

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