The former governor of Borno state Ali Modu Sheriff has accused members of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) national secretariat of conducting a secret hand over of his position as chairman to Ahmed Makarfi, the Premium Times reports.
The party’s former deputy national chairman, Uche Secondus, had earlier handed over the reins of his office to Mr Makarfi at a brief ceremony held at the Wadata Plaza in Abuja.
The opposition party has been dogged by crisis over the chairmanship position.
Powerful party organs have rallied behind Mr Makarfi who was appointed under controversial circumstances.
Sheriff remains a controversial politician in Nigeria
Mr Sheriff who had been in charge of the party for months, insists he remains the chairman.
The two men had secured favourable court injunctions restricting either of them from parading themselves as national chairman and or caretaker chairman.
Mr Makarfi said the former Borno governor would have attended the party’s meeting on Monday night if he had not travelled out of the country.
However, in a press statement issued Tuesday evening, Mr Sheriff said through his spokesperson Inuwa Bwala that he was still in charge.
The statement reads in full: “Our attention has been drawn to the activities at the National secretariat of the PDP to the effect that some individuals masquerading as leaders have handed over to Ahmed Mohammed Makarki under a contraption called “caretaker committee.
“We state as a matter of fact that going by proceedings still pending in the courts to the effect that Senator Ali Sheriff remains the National Chairman, whatever transpired was null, void and of no effect whatsoever.
“Sheriff has not mandated anybody, nor was his authority obtained by Uche Secondus, who has been parading himself as acting on behalf of the National Chairman.
“While we await the verdicts of the courts, we wish to state that Senator Ali Modu Sheriff is and remains the National Chairman of the party, until otherwise declared by the courts.
“We allowed the charade to go on at the secretariat without any form of challenge in strict obedience to careful pronouncement on the matter, but we must also state that there is no gathering of groups or individuals, however powerful, such groups or individuals may be, that can be said to take precedence over the law.
“For the avoidance of doubts, we state categorically that what took place at the PDP secretariat on Tuesday June 7, 2016 was a total disregard to court orders. And an extension of the impunity for which the party has been accused of and which has taken the party to where it is today.
“The public should disregard all the actions and pronouncements.”
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