Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caretaker Committee and former governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, has denounced the support of governor of Bayelsa State, Serike Dickson, for the convention being planned by Ali Modu Sheriff faction, saying it will deepen the crisis in the party.

Besides, he said the governor’s action amounted to a betrayal of the interest of former President Goodluck Jonathan, PDP governors and other stakeholders. The former governor who spoke with journalists in Kaduna on the alleged move of Dickson and Sherriff to further deepen the crisis in the party, pointed out that the report submitted by Dickson to Modu Sherriff group and the move to organise a convention were illegal because they infringe on the judgment of the Appeal Court for which the PDP has already filed an appeal at the Supreme Court.

He said: “Of course, what people may not know was that when he (Governor Dickson) visited me before going to submit that report, he fully endorsed our decision that we must file an appeal at the Supreme Court. He also asked for what would be his contribution for going to Supreme Court and I said it is up to the governors and other stakeholders. I said I am not discussing finances, but that he can go and discuss with his colleagues.”

Lamenting the newly found friendship between Dickson and Sherriff, Makarfi remarked: “A week before he made the presentation of his report to Sherriff, he was one of the governors that met with former President Goodluck Jonathan, and they came out with a proposal that night. Former President Jonathan called me and told me about the proposal, and I answered them in the affirmative, even before consulting my constituency. And I said look, you as governors are key organs of this party, we have no objection to anything if it will bring to an end this problem; and that other organs of the party should be carried along in selling whatever proposal they have.

“So, having participated and endorsed a proposal with his other colleague governors, will it be right to pull yourself out under any guise to say you are now proposing something else? I would have thought that if he has any idea, any other proposal, he would have laid it before that meeting. But you cannot append your signature to a proposal with your other colleagues governors, and then a week after, come out with another proposal that your colleagues are not even aware of.

“He told me that he has spoken to some of his colleagues, but all the governors that I contacted, none of them told me they were aware of such a proposal. As a matter of fact, most of them were hearing it for the first time from me, that he has submitted the report. So, nobody is against political solution if it is possible, but it must be done the right way.

“I heard him saying that I am the one proposing that myself and Sherriff should go. I don’t have any proposal. That is the proposal he with other governors and President Goodluck Jonathan came out with and told me. So, he is now turning it to my own proposal, a proposal that he was party to. It was only communicated to me and to BoT, and we all said we have no objection if other organs of the party are comfortable with that. Why is it the fault of mine?”

Besides, Makarfi also faulted the commitment of Dickson to the PDP Caretaker Committee, saying his contribution has been negligible.On the Dickson’s report, Makarfi said he has not seen the draft, saying he believes that the party would come out of the crisis stronger.

•Text courtesy of The Guardian.

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