Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Monday said review of the party’s Constitution had been suspended in the interest of its unity.
Sheriff stated this while addressing members of the party’s Board of Trustees (BOT) during their meeting at PDP National Secretariat in Abuja.
He said that the decision to suspend the Constitution’s review stemmed from agreements reached during the party’s leadership’s recent meeting with some stakeholders and elders of the party.
“In order to solve the problem in the party we have agreed to drop the issue of Constitution review.
“Although I am yet to discuss with the National Working Committee of the party, I am sure that since it is coming from the leaders and concerned members of the party I don’t think they will object to it.
“We will completely step down the issue of reviewing the Constitution; it will not be taken as a result of the agreement we reached with some of our elders who participated in the meeting,” Sheriff said.
He recalled that the issue of reviewing the Constitution started before his emergence as chairman of the party.
He told the BoT members that the party leadership was aware of issues surrounding recent state and zonal congresses of the party, adding that meetings were being held to address the problems.
Sheriff announced that the party would review congresses that had problems.
“It is from today that we will start receiving the reports and look into where the problems are because the appeal committees have sat and made certain observations on affected states.
“We have agreed that a committee would be set up to look into the problems so that the party can sit together with the view of correcting what has gone wrong in some states.
“Party is dynamic and the views of the people you are leading are also very important; that is why we have agreed on some of these issues,” he said.
The chairman also said that the issue of zoning of the party’s presidential slot for 2019 election to the North-East would be addressed at Saturday’s National Convention in Port Harcourt.
On possibility of a shift of the convention date, he said that the date and venue remained unchanged “except if something extra ordinary happens’’.
Sheriff, who disclosed his intention to contest to retain his position as chairman, said that he had already been endorsed as a sole candidate for the position during the North-East zonal congress.
On recent increase in price of petrol, he said that the party would meet soon to take a position on it.
Earlier, acting Chairman of the BoT, Sen. Walid Jibrin, said that the board had been watching with keen interest, recent happenings in the party as well as working towards resolving the problems.
“As the conscience of the party we must take the situations critically with the view of solving them in a more democratic way without necessarily destroying the party.
“We must exhibit highest morality, be upright and very sincere in trying to solve our problem.
Jubril, who commended the BoT members for allowing him to lead them, urged them to be calculative and cooperative in the way they handled party issues.
“It is now evolving that what is happening is an exhibition of democracy.
“Since we are in a democracy, we cannot stop anybody from saying anything but we should use various meetings positively with the view to moving the party forward,” he said.