*N/east caucus meets on zoning
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The ousted national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, has said that he would not sacrifice his integrity, political interest and his followers as part of the ongoing peace deal.
Speaking on the perfomance of the PDP during the 2015 general election, Sheriff regretted that if former President Goodluck Jonathan had taken his advice and implemented it religiously, the party would not have lost elections in Borno and Yobe states.
Sheriff’s position came just as his kinsmen from the north-east met in Abuja under auspices of the zonal caucus to appraise the zoning arrangement ahead of the PDP national convention.
The meeting of the north-east caucus, which had in attendance governors of Gombe, Ibrahim Dankwanbo, and Dairus Ishiaku of Taraba state, sought to articulate a position that will help in resolving the leadership crisis rocking the party.
Speaking while receiving a faction of the Yobe state executive committee of the PDP in Abuja, Sheriff vowed that no fresh congresses will be conducted in those states where it has taken place during his tenure.
Sheriff who was offered concessions during a meeting with members of the reconciliation committee led by former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, Thursday night, said that he would not accept any move to conduct fresh congresses in those areas where the exercise had been concluded.
“Members of the BoT are coming to see me, even last night they came to meet me at my place and the governor are also meeting with me but that does not mean that we are going to agree on anything that will affect our integrity, followership and our political interests.
“I heard someone talking about the congress in Yobe, and I must say that as far as I am concerned the congress has been held no one can reverse it. It is not even an issue to negotiate. The only four states that the NEC of our party approved that fresh congresses be conducted in only five states, short of that is a waste of time.
” As some of you rightly said, some of them were ashamed to Identify with the party. Now the PDP has become a strong party, everybody is looking upon to PDP and we will not be distracted. This a Party, as I rightly said must be returned back to the owners. Anything short of that is a none- starter,” he said.
Further details later
