Don’t Listen To Sheriff, Markafi-led Committee Tells INEC

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff has written to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) asking the commission to completely ignore a letter by the Sen. Ahmed Makarfi-led contentious Caretaker Committee notifying it of a proposed August 17 National Convention.
Sheriff in a letter dated August 2, 2016 reminded the commission that the Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee was illegal and had no powers under the PDP constitution to convene the party’s national convention.
The letter, received at INEC on Wednesday pointedly informed the commission that the only body that could call for and ratify activities culminating to a National Convention of PDP was the National Executive Committee (NEC) headed by Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as National Chairman as enshrined in Article 31 (2)(a) of the Constitution of the PDP.
Sheriff said the commission and the general public should note that the PDP was not planning any National Convention as he had not been so authorized by the National Executive Committee.
He cautioned that any person or group of persons planning for an event was doing so as an illegal body and in direct contempt of valid court orders.
The letter titled: “Re: Notification of Ward Congresses and National Convention” and signed by Sheriff and the National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo reads:
“Kindly refer to a letter dated 20th July, 2016 by the illegal PDP Caretaker Committee purported to notify INEC of a proposed Ward Congresses to nominate 3 Ad-hoc delegates on Wednesday August 10, 2016 and LGA Congresses to nominate national delegates on Friday, August 12, 2016 for a repeat National Convention, and also a repeat National Convention slated for Wednesday, August 17, 2016.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the only body that can call for and ratify activities culminating to a National Convention of our great Party the PDP is our party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) headed by Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as National Chairman.
“This is enshrined in Article 31 (2)(a) of our party’s constitution – “The National Executive Committee shall; convene the National Convention and appoint a Convention Organizing Committee which shall circulate the convention information in advance and ensure that the concerns of the membership are reflected on the agenda”.
“The Senator Ali Modu Sheriff-led PDP is not planning any National Convention, as he has not been so authorized by the National Executive Committee of the PDP. Any person or group of persons planning for an event is doing so as an illegal body and in direct contempt of valid court orders. This letter is to kindly put you on notice to ignore any such notifications by the illegal Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee.”

Meanwhile, the Makarfi-led committee has pleaded with the commission not to listen to Sheriff and his cohorts.

In its own letter, entitled: “Re: Senator Sheriff’s letter to INEC: The Law and the Facts,” the Makarfi-led committee urged the commission not to listen to Sheriff and his cohorts, saying the letter “belongs to the garbage bin.”
In a statement signed by its spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, the committee declared that Sheriff “is merely acting the script of his pay masters,” while assuring that “ the caretaker committee will continue with its dogged determination to organise the best national convention in the history of our great party.”
When contacted, Mr Nick Dansang, Deputy Director in charge of Voters Education and Publicity in INEC, said “Senator Sheriff wrote the commission a number of letters and in one of them, he pleaded with the commission not to recognise the candidate forwarded by the Makarfi-led faction of the PDP.”