Pressure is mounting on the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, to step down and withdraw all cases instituted against the Ali Modu Sheriff faction of the party.
This, according to an investigation, is the immediate fallout of the intervention of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the crisis and his parley with PDP governors and other party stakeholders on the way out of the crisis that has torn the party into two.
Multiple party sources told The Nation that top PDP members have been advising Makarfi to relinquish his position and to allow Sheriff organise the national convention that will give birth to a new leadership for the party as recently agreed by stakeholders.
The proposal for Makarfi to step down, sources said, was broached at interactive sessions between party chieftains and the recently constituted reconciliation committee during the week.
Present at the meetings were PDP governors who are the backbone of support for Makarfi.
Embedded in the deal is the appointment of the former Kaduna State governor as chairman of the convention committee.
Sheriff has repeatedly said that he will step down once the national convention takes place.
It is also proposed that the reconciliation committee will harmonize the structures of the two factions as a way of ensuring that delegates for the planned convention represent all interests and factions.
The PDP Reconciliation Committee is headed by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, who said during the week that the solution to the PDP crisis lies in adopting a political approach.
He said the committee is prepared for such an approach.
He gave no details.
The committee also comprises Senator Ibrahim Mantu as deputy chairman and Senator Joshua Lidani as secretary.
Sources said yesterday that pressure on Makarfi to step down is part of the effort.
The Nation learnt that an earlier plan to have both Sheriff and Makarfi quit may have been jettisoned following what some sources described as superior arguments at subsequent parleys.
It was gathered that the need to avoid violating the recent court judgements, as well as avoiding having to enthrone another caretaker committee, largely informed the new move.
In addition to stepping down from his position as head of the controversial caretaker committee of PDP, Makarfi and his faction are expected to withdraw all pending cases in court, especially the appeal against the recent ruling of the Court of Appeal which pronounced Sheriff as the authentic chairman of the party.'
While it is unclear whether the former Kaduna State governor is agreeable to the proposal, sources suggest that some of his backers, including the PDP governors and members of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), may have bought into the idea as the best way out of the PDP crisis.
“It is true that Makarfi is being talked into agreeing to step down and allowing Sheriff to conduct the proposed convention that will usher in a new leadership for the party,” one source said.
“The new leadership however, as agreed by stakeholders, must be all embracing and non-factional. It has also been agreed that both factions will contribute equally to all committees and other logistics that will lead to the said convention.
“The initial idea that both leaders should quit was shelved following the emergence of superior arguments against it. In the process of finding a lasting peace to the crisis in PDP, many meetings have been held. Many will still be held until we achieve our aim which is to resolve all differences and put PDP back on the right track.
“Those opposed to the initial idea warned that anything we want to do must not contravene any law of the land or any subsisting court judgement. It was also observed that having the two of them leave office will warrant the enthronement of another leadership structure, be it caretaker committee or whatever. This is another thing we want to avoid.”
It was also gathered that on the strength of the last Court of Appeal’s judgement stakeholders are of the opinion that it is better to allow Sheriff conduct the convention “under strict moderation by the party’s reconciliation committee and other stakeholders.”
Another party source said:” it was reasonably argued and agreed upon by our leaders that it may be in the best interest of the party to allow Senator Sheriff remain in office to conduct the convention and usher in a new leadership that will be all encompassing, for our party.
“We realized there is no need to create a vacuum or a new body that may again be faulted by the law of the land, thereby leading to another crisis.
“And since the last judgement endorsed Sheriff, it is safe to work with him towards achieving our aims of a clean slate and a new beginning for PDP. Sheriff himself is willing to leave and give way to a new leadership. He has promised to conduct an all inclusive convention where he will not be seeking re-election.”
Party chieftains who do not want to be named confirmed that the new deal is in continuation of Jonathan’s proposed political solution which has been embraced by all the PDP governors and the majority of the party’s leading chieftains, including members of the BoT and the party’s national assembly caucus.
Meanwhile, it is expected that the state executive committees of the two factions will have to be harmonized by the reconciliation committee before the planned convention.
This, sources according to sources, is to prevent any controversy over the status of delegates going to the convention from the various states.
“It is actually the issue of how to handle the fictionalised state executive committees that is the biggest challenge now.
“Don’t forget that nearly all the states across the country have factional leaderships supporting either Makarfi or Sheriff. It is how well we are able to harmonise these that will determine how easy the new deal will sail through.”
However, the spokesman for the Ahmed Makarfi led Caretaker Committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye has denied reports that former President Goodluck Jonathan asked Makarfi to step down.
“It’s not true that former President Jonathan asked Makarfi to step down for Sheriff to conduct a convention. What convention is Sheriff going to conduct?” Adeyeye said by phone yesterday.
“I spoke with Makarfi this morning (Saturday morning) and he would have told me if it’s true that former President Jonathan asked him to step down.
“Sheriff can’t organise any convention because he is not his own man. He is being controlled by external forces clearly outside the PDP so he can’t convince nobody of any genuine intention to organise a convention.”
The former minister of state for works said the caretaker committee and all the critical organs of the party are determined to pursue the cross appeal against Sheriff pending before the Supreme Court.
But he said this is without prejudice to the ongoing reconciliation efforts being spearheaded by Dr. Jonathan.
He said:”We have resolved to pursue our case at the Supreme Court to a logical conclusion. This is without prejudice to the ongoing reconciliation efforts.
“If we eventually resolve the matter amicably, then we move forward from there. But it would involve all the critical organs and all stakeholders within the PDP.
“We want people to realise the fact that this is not a personal battle of any individual in the party. It’s a collective struggle that must be seen to a logical conclusion,” Adeyeye said. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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