The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has
announced what it called “general amnesty” for its members who it
said participated in the crisis that engulfed the party in the last
14 months.
It said while it would overlook the sins committed by those set
of people, it nevertheless warned that anyone who participates in
fresh plot against the former ruling party would not be
forgiven.
The Chairman of National Caretaker Committee of the party,
Senator Ahmed Makarfi, stated this in an interview with reporters
in Abuja on Thursday.
The former governor of Kaduna State was reacting to a question
on whether the party would sanction the sacked National Chairman of
the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, and those in his camp who took
the party to court over the outcome of its May 21, 2016 national
convention.
Apart from Sheriff, some of those in his camp were the party’s
former National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo; Sheriff’s deputy,
Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, and the acting National Publicity Secretary of
the party, Mr. Bernard Mikko.
Makarfi, who described the last 14 months as very worrisome for
the party, however, said there was no need punishing those who made
the party to experience the setback.
Speaking through the spokesperson for the caretaker committee,
Mr. Dayo Adeyeye, Makarfi called on those with pending cases
against the party at state levels, to withdraw them.
Adeyeye, a former Minister of State for Works, said the PDP
would provide a credible alternative to the ruling All Progressives
Congress ahead of the 2019 general elections.
He stated, “No, we won’t punish anyone for what had happened in
the past. Our doors are open for everyone, including those who are
not members of the PDP.
“It is general amnesty for all. It is when you begin to commit
fresh sins or causing fresh troubles that we will then look at
it.
“We want to appeal to everybody, those who have cases in courts,
to withdraw them in the interest of the party. You can see that
everybody is happy because of the outcome of the case.”
Adeyeye alleged that the APC had failed the people, saying
Nigerians were looking for a party that would offer solutions to
current challenges.
He stated, “APC is a monumental disaster. People are looking for
alternative and now the Supreme Court has restored their hope. We
will provide the alternative platform.
“As we can see now, 2019 election will be a walkover in our
favour. APC will begin to see virile opposition henceforth.”
In his reaction, Sheriff said he was not sure that Makarfi could
be calling for amnesty for him and his group, adding that until he
was sure that the former governor made the call, he would not
respond.
Sheriff, who spoke through Ojougboh, said, “He said that he was
going to grant us amnesty? Are we criminals? No, he couldn’t have
said that.
“Let’s wait and see. If he said that, then you would hear from
me tomorrow. We are not criminals and how can someone be talking of
amnesty?”
While pouring encomium on the members of staff of the party who
are still being owed backlog of salaries, Adeyeye said that the
party would make sure that their outstanding salaries “are
paid.”
Earlier, Makarfi, while speaking when some former PDP ministers
paid the members of the caretaker committee a courtesy visit, said
opposition to the APC government would have died if the Supreme
Court had ruled in favour of Sheriff.
Makarfi stated, the “APC is even afraid of holding NEC meeting
not to talk of national convention. Maybe, the party is afraid that
doing so could lead to its disintegration and that it could
scatter.”
He said the PDP leadership would meet on Monday and Tuesday next
week where decisions would be reached on when to call a NEC
meeting.
Makarfi added that the party would also set up committees to
resolve crisis in some states, especially in the South-West.
He promised to engage the sacked national chairman of the party
and its group in discussions on how to bring unity into the
party.
The former ministers, however, regretted that the crisis in the
party would have been avoided if their objection to the appointment
of Sheriff had been heeded.
The Chairman of the Former Ministers Forum, who is also a former
Minister for Special Duties, Alhaji Tanimu Turaki (SAN), who spoke
on behalf of his colleagues, said the party must not allow the
euphoria of the Supreme Court judgment to mislead it.
He said, “If we are now telling Nigerians that we have realised
our mistake, we must shed the toga of impunity. We must make sure
that things are done in a transparent manner and there must be
inclusiveness.”
PDP’ll retake Aso Rock in 2019 –Reps
caucus
Also, the PDP caucus in the House of Representatives boasted on
Thursday that the party would retake the Presidency from the ruling
APC in 2019.
It said the Wednesday’s judgment by the Supreme Court, which
resolved the leadership crisis in the PDP, had set the stage for
the party to begin full preparations for the 2019 elections.
The members celebrated the court decision at the National
Assembly shortly before the start of the day’s plenary.
The jubilant members of the House, who were led by the Minority
Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor, described the judgment as a “victory for
democracy.”
Speaking for the group at a news conference attended by many of
them, Ogor said, “By this turn of events, we can tell you that
there is vacancy in Aso Rock.
“We are moving into Aso Rock in 2019. We earlier issued a notice
to quit, but now, we can assure Nigerians that in 2019, PDP will
move into Aso Rock.”
Ogor added that the members would quickly heal the wounds of the
crisis by acknowledging that there was “no victor, no
vanquished.”
He said, “For democracy to thrive, there must be virile
opposition; the type the PDP will give to confront the
inconsistencies of the APC in the past two years.
“For over two years, the APC has only succeeded in taking two
steps forward and six steps backward.”
I’m in shock over judgment, says Sheriff
Meanwhile, Sheriff has said he is still in shock over the
judgment of the Supreme Court, which removed him from office on
Wednesday.
Sheriff said he was still waiting for his lawyers to brief him
on the details of the judgment.
His reaction was sent to one of our correspondents on Thursday
by his erstwhile deputy, Ojuogboh, and the former spokesperson for
his faction, Mr. Bernard Mikko, in Abuja.
Mikko, who signed the statement, said Nigerians should continue
to pray for the country.
The three-paragraph statement said, “We received with shock the
12th July judgment of the Supreme Court on the leadership of the
Peoples Democratic Party.
“We still await the written judgment of the highest court from
our lawyers, who will fully brief us on the details of the
judgment. In the interim, we ask all members and supporters to
remain steadfast in prayers for Nigeria.
“Meanwhile, we continue with our avowed demands that the party
must be given back to the owners at the grassroots to always elect
their party officials and those to contest elections for them at
all levels. Internal democracy must be institutionalised in the
party.”
Sheriff was removed by a five-man panel of justices of the
Supreme Court, which also recognised the Makarfi-led national
caretaker committee as the authentic leadership of the former
ruling party.
In a related development, the Chairman of the PDP Board of
Trustees, Senator Walid Jibrin, on Thursday, said he would have
resigned if Sheriff had won at the Supreme Court.
Jibrin, who expressed joy with the victory of the Makarfi
committee, in a statement issued in Kaduna on Thursday, added that
the judgment came at the right time for the party to put its house
in order before the next general elections.
“I would have resigned as PDP BoT chairman if Sheriff had won,”
he said.
The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has
announced what it called “general amnesty” for its members who it
said participated in the crisis that engulfed the party in the last
14 months.
It said while it would overlook the sins committed by those set
of people, it nevertheless warned that anyone who participates in
fresh plot against the former ruling party would not be
forgiven.
The Chairman of National Caretaker Committee of the party,
Senator Ahmed Makarfi, stated this in an interview with reporters
in Abuja on Thursday.
The former governor of Kaduna State was reacting to a question
on whether the party would sanction the sacked National Chairman of
the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, and those in his camp who took
the party to court over the outcome of its May 21, 2016 national
convention.
Apart from Sheriff, some of those in his camp were the party’s
former National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo; Sheriff’s deputy,
Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, and the acting National Publicity Secretary of
the party, Mr. Bernard Mikko.
Makarfi, who described the last 14 months as very worrisome for
the party, however, said there was no need punishing those who made
the party to experience the setback.
Speaking through the spokesperson for the caretaker committee,
Mr. Dayo Adeyeye, Makarfi called on those with pending cases
against the party at state levels, to withdraw them.
Adeyeye, a former Minister of State for Works, said the PDP
would provide a credible alternative to the ruling All Progressives
Congress ahead of the 2019 general elections.
He stated, “No, we won’t punish anyone for what had happened in
the past. Our doors are open for everyone, including those who are
not members of the PDP.
“It is general amnesty for all. It is when you begin to commit
fresh sins or causing fresh troubles that we will then look at
it.
“We want to appeal to everybody, those who have cases in courts,
to withdraw them in the interest of the party. You can see that
everybody is happy because of the outcome of the case.”
Adeyeye alleged that the APC had failed the people, saying
Nigerians were looking for a party that would offer solutions to
current challenges.
He stated, “APC is a monumental disaster. People are looking for
alternative and now the Supreme Court has restored their hope. We
will provide the alternative platform.
“As we can see now, 2019 election will be a walkover in our
favour. APC will begin to see virile opposition henceforth.”
In his reaction, Sheriff said he was not sure that Makarfi could
be calling for amnesty for him and his group, adding that until he
was sure that the former governor made the call, he would not
respond.
Sheriff, who spoke through Ojougboh, said, “He said that he was
going to grant us amnesty? Are we criminals? No, he couldn’t have
said that.
“Let’s wait and see. If he said that, then you would hear from
me tomorrow. We are not criminals and how can someone be talking of
amnesty?”
While pouring encomium on the members of staff of the party who
are still being owed backlog of salaries, Adeyeye said that the
party would make sure that their outstanding salaries “are
paid.”
Earlier, Makarfi, while speaking when some former PDP ministers
paid the members of the caretaker committee a courtesy visit, said
opposition to the APC government would have died if the Supreme
Court had ruled in favour of Sheriff.
Makarfi stated, the “APC is even afraid of holding NEC meeting
not to talk of national convention. Maybe, the party is afraid that
doing so could lead to its disintegration and that it could
scatter.”
He said the PDP leadership would meet on Monday and Tuesday next
week where decisions would be reached on when to call a NEC
meeting.
Makarfi added that the party would also set up committees to
resolve crisis in some states, especially in the South-West.
He promised to engage the sacked national chairman of the party
and its group in discussions on how to bring unity into the
party.
The former ministers, however, regretted that the crisis in the
party would have been avoided if their objection to the appointment
of Sheriff had been heeded.
The Chairman of the Former Ministers Forum, who is also a former
Minister for Special Duties, Alhaji Tanimu Turaki (SAN), who spoke
on behalf of his colleagues, said the party must not allow the
euphoria of the Supreme Court judgment to mislead it.
He said, “If we are now telling Nigerians that we have realised
our mistake, we must shed the toga of impunity. We must make sure
that things are done in a transparent manner and there must be
inclusiveness.”
PDP’ll retake Aso Rock in 2019 –Reps
caucus
Also, the PDP caucus in the House of Representatives boasted on
Thursday that the party would retake the Presidency from the ruling
APC in 2019.
It said the Wednesday’s judgment by the Supreme Court, which
resolved the leadership crisis in the PDP, had set the stage for
the party to begin full preparations for the 2019 elections.
The members celebrated the court decision at the National
Assembly shortly before the start of the day’s plenary.
The jubilant members of the House, who were led by the Minority
Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor, described the judgment as a “victory for
democracy.”
Speaking for the group at a news conference attended by many of
them, Ogor said, “By this turn of events, we can tell you that
there is vacancy in Aso Rock.
“We are moving into Aso Rock in 2019. We earlier issued a notice
to quit, but now, we can assure Nigerians that in 2019, PDP will
move into Aso Rock.”
Ogor added that the members would quickly heal the wounds of the
crisis by acknowledging that there was “no victor, no
vanquished.”
He said, “For democracy to thrive, there must be virile
opposition; the type the PDP will give to confront the
inconsistencies of the APC in the past two years.
“For over two years, the APC has only succeeded in taking two
steps forward and six steps backward.”
I’m in shock over judgment, says Sheriff
Meanwhile, Sheriff has said he is still in shock over the
judgment of the Supreme Court, which removed him from office on
Wednesday.
Sheriff said he was still waiting for his lawyers to brief him
on the details of the judgment.
His reaction was sent to one of our correspondents on Thursday
by his erstwhile deputy, Ojuogboh, and the former spokesperson for
his faction, Mr. Bernard Mikko, in Abuja.
Mikko, who signed the statement, said Nigerians should continue
to pray for the country.
The three-paragraph statement said, “We received with shock the
12th July judgment of the Supreme Court on the leadership of the
Peoples Democratic Party.
“We still await the written judgment of the highest court from
our lawyers, who will fully brief us on the details of the
judgment. In the interim, we ask all members and supporters to
remain steadfast in prayers for Nigeria.
“Meanwhile, we continue with our avowed demands that the party
must be given back to the owners at the grassroots to always elect
their party officials and those to contest elections for them at
all levels. Internal democracy must be institutionalised in the
party.”
Sheriff was removed by a five-man panel of justices of the
Supreme Court, which also recognised the Makarfi-led national
caretaker committee as the authentic leadership of the former
ruling party.
In a related development, the Chairman of the PDP Board of
Trustees, Senator Walid Jibrin, on Thursday, said he would have
resigned if Sheriff had won at the Supreme Court.
Jibrin, who expressed joy with the victory of the Makarfi
committee, in a statement issued in Kaduna on Thursday, added that
the judgment came at the right time for the party to put its house
in order before the next general elections.
“I would have resigned as PDP BoT chairman if Sheriff had won,”
he said.
Read more https://nairalaw.com/pdp-announces-amnesty-for-sheriff-cairo-others/