Sheriff Group Says It’s Dialoguing With Makarfi

*Dismisses call for his arrest

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

After six weeks of intense political battle for the soul of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the loyalists of the erstwhile national chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, on Thursday disclosed that they have finally entered into discussions with the leadership of the party in a bid to end the crisis.

The new reconciliatory approach came on the heels of the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to study all the judgements and rulings of the court so far issued in respect of the conflict in PDP with a view to taking a position on which of the leaderships to recognize.

A key member of the Sheriff group and the former PDP national vice chairman (South-South), Dr. Cairo Ojougbo, who addressed journalists in Abuja, described the call for the arrest of Sheriff for contempt of court as a ruse.

Speaking on the lingering face-off between Sheriff and the mainstream PDP leadership over the rightful claimant to the chairmanship of the party, Ojuogbo said though the former national chairman sees himself as still legitimately in office, he is ready to purse dialogue to resolve the crisis.

Ojuogbo had last week said that Sheriff is asking to be allowed to conduct fresh convention in order to hand over to a new national leadership.

“I want to make this point clear, the Caretaker committee led by Makarfi and Ali Modu Sheriff led PDP have been discussing. We have been looking for ways to make peace. People like Adeyeye who want this crisis to continue, have been talking any how, they have their own personal agenda,” he said.

On the call made by the Spokesman of the PDP national caretaker committee, Dayo Adeyeye, for the arrest of Sheriff on contempt charges, Ojuogbo said there is nothing of such since Sheriff has already appealed the Port Harcourt Federal High Court judgement.

“I want to make categorically clear that we have a judgement that is point blank judgment that says that it is only Sheriff that will submit the names of candidates of Edo and Ondo states.

“It also further says that Sheriff is the recognised chairman of PDP. The judgement they are celebrating in Port Harcourt, of course if the judgement of Emperor of Ikwere. We have appealed it and we have also called state of execution. So it is neither here nor there. But the chairman of PDP, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff has some other subsisting judgements in his favour, and if anybody is to be arrested, it is Adeyeye who is making allusion that people arrested‎.

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