The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, has accused members of the party’s National Caretaker Committee led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi of plans to form a new political party.
He said this was one of the reasons why he and members of his National Working Committee have decided to pull out of the peace plan being spearheaded by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The former President had on April 6 in Abuja, summoned a meeting of stakeholders of the party where issues affecting its unity was to be discussed.
But the former governor of Borno State led members of his NWC to walk out of the meeting, alleging that its agenda was different from the one they agreed on before he and his team decided to be at the meeting.
But while Sheriff and his team walked out of the meeting, members of the sacked national caretaker committee, members of the party’s Board of Trustees and other stakeholders, stayed behind with the former President.
Giving more excuses on why Sheriff and his team left the meeting, the Deputy National Chairman of the party, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh said in a statement in Abuja on Thursday, that Jonathan lost control of the meeting and allowed those he described as “dissidents” to hijack it.
He said there was no way his group would continue to engage the Makarfi faction in further discussion when there were instances to show that the group was already planning to form another party.
He said, “Makarfi and his group are busy forming new parties so there is no need engaging with them when we know that they do not mean well for our party.
“High ranking members of the Makarfi group like the former Deputy Speaker of the house of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha have openly admitted that if they lose at the Supreme Court, they will move to another party.
“With such statements, it would be foolhardy for us to pretend that a genuine reconciliation is being pursued by these renegade members.
“We will rather concentrate our efforts on strengthening our party at the grassroots. The people at the grassroots still believe in our great party.”