By Baron Ike
Associates of the sacked former National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Ali Modu Sheriff have deserted him to seek political survival and relevance anywhere they can find it.

While some have pitched tent with the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), the other remnants in the opposition PDP are working hard to berth in the survival game now going on in the party.

The PDP is planning its national convention next week, December 9 to elect the new leader of the party.

Most of the Sherriff associates are no longer using his name as signpost for political contest.

Sherriff, the former governor of Borno State and his men were at the centre of political activity few years ago when they were handed over the running of the party until inordinate ambition of some of them led to unprecedented crisis that saw the PDP in and out of the court until the Supreme Court sacked the team in July 12 this year.

The group seemed to have fought together when the PDP held its non elective national convention at the Eagles Square in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja tomorrow, Saturday, August 12, boycotting the event on protest that the Ahmed Markafi-led team did not carry them along contrary to the decision of the party leaders to bring all on board.

Makarfi had promised to reconcile all aggrieved parties, a comment that was magnified by other party chieftains, including the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu who himself called for urgent reconciliation.
Ekweremadu had declared that the Supreme Court ruling of July 12 that gave the leadership of the party to Markafi instead of Sheriff signified “no victor and no vanquished.”

Suspecting that the long awaited reconcilatory moves were not comprehensive enough most of  the Sheriff’s associates decided to pitch their political tents elsewhere.

For instance, his former deputy national chairman, Cairo Ojougbough left him with his supporters, mainly from the Delta state axis of the South South for the APC. They had
complained that the Markafi-led team did not consider it necessary to include them in the committees for the convention that hold next week.

Other key members of the Sheriff’s camp, like Hope Uzodinma, a ranking senator and PDP Board of Trustee member who were said to have equally complained of being ignored as regards the convention planning and committees constitution decided to stay put in PDP believing there would be a change.
“We would have gone to court but we will not do that because of the mood of the country,” one of Sherriff associates had told Armadanew.com on the eve of the non elective convention.

Another member of the camp had also retorted: “They are gradually returning to square one because lessons have not been learnt and we doubt if the characters that are calling the shots are ready to be magnanimous in victory in the interest of the party and our country.”

He added: “Contrary to claims that Sheriff was allegedly doing the bidding of the All Progressive Congress (APC), those who are actually working for the APC within the PDP are all over the place.”
Armadanews.com gathered during the week that any Sherriff’s associate who still believes the former governor is the issue in the PDP will remain in political oblivion for ever. “Politics is about survival. You read the pendulum and react the way it swings. Otherwise you will be in political oblivion,” one of his former rabid supporter who is seeking for an elective office inn the new PDP executive come December 9 told us.