PDP: Makarfi Advises against Sit-Tight Leaders

• Says party open to new members

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has said members of the committee will not encourage a system that allows unnecessary elongation of office tenures at all levels.

Makarfi who spoke yesterday at the inauguration of caretaker committee executives for Ogun, Kebbi and Borno States, said the caretaker committee is working towards meeting the four-month mandate given to it by the National Convention.
“We don’t have the latitude of time. We don’t want anything to tie us down. The convention gave us four months and we are working towards that. We are not sit-tight leaders,” Makarfi assured.

The chairman explained that the dissolution of the executive committees in the seven affected states was aimed at unifying members of the party because of the sharp divisions arising from the last congresses in the states.

Referring to the Supreme Court judgement, Makarfi said the ruling has affirmed that the National Convention is the supreme organ of the party, and that the convention has the power to dissolve even the party itself.

He warned that the PDP would not want a situation where any state party executive committee would drag the party back to court again due to an attempt to hold on to the party’s leadership .
Makarfi thanked the three states for setting the pace but told them that inauguration
of the caretaker committees does not mean that reconciliation has ended.

“We have to move further than this, we must remain flexible and reconcile with every member of the party, and even none PDP members. You should create a level playing field for everyone,” he advised.

Makarfi told the state caretaker committees that letters have been prepared for security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enable them take-off smoothly in their states.

In his acceptance speech, Ogun State Caretaker Committee Chairman, Tunde Odanye, said the inauguration was another step to move the party forward to where it properly belongs.

He promised to pursue the reconciliation of members in his state as well as to organise transparent congresses at the lower levels.

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