By Baron Ike
National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Ali Modu Sheriffhas told Dayo Adeyeye, to stop parading himself as the image maker of the PDP.
He said Adeyeye belongs to the “illegal” National Caretaker Committee (NWC) of the PDP and does not have the right to speak for the party after the Appeal Court recently pronounced his team the authentic faction.
Speaking in Abuja through a statement issued by acting Publicity Secretary, BenardMikko, on Sunday, March 19, Sheriff said Adeyeye could not speak for the PDP or use its logo and franchise without the authority and permission of the national leadership of the party which he legally represents.
Sheriff specifically frowned at what he described as “desperation of Adeyeye”, when efforts of the Peace and Reconciliation Committee of the party led by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State was ongoing.
Mikko’s words: “We appeal to all party faithful, loyal party members and strategic stakeholders to remain calm and committed to the PDP.
“They should continue to have faith in the Peace and Reconciliation report as the panacea for a united and cohesive party waiting for your mandate to tackle the developmental deficits and other adverse conditions we now face in Nigeria.”
On Saturday, March 18, Adeyeye had himself said that the claim of Mikko as a member of PDP National Working Committee (NWC) was also illegal. He said the claim was contrary to the judgment by the Appeal Court on February 14 which ordered reversal to status quo ante May 21, 2016.
Adeyeye said: “The continued parade of Dr. Cairo Ojougboh as Deputy National Chairman and Bernard Mikko as Acting National Publicity Secretary of the PDP are acts of impunity and will be challenged in court.
“It is a known fact that no meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) nor National Executive Committee (NEC) was held to appoint these men nor confirm them in such positions, respectively.”
The Sheriff-led faction of the PDP on the one hand and the Markafi-led faction have been laying claim to the leadership of the party at the national level. But today, Sheriff seems to have an upper hand having been pronounced the authentic chairman by the Appeal Court recently.
With the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) fixing dates for the 2019 general election, both factions are doing the utmost to control the levers of PDP, but all their efforts may amount to nothing until the Supreme Court makes a final pronouncement on the case before it over the lingering leadership tussle in the party.