PDP names Makarfi as interim chairman, Obi as secretary at P/Harcourt National Convention

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has announced the appointment of former Kaduna State Governor, Ahmed Makarfi as its caretaker chairman, just as the party named another former of Anambra governor, Peter Obi, as interim secretary.
Rising a national Convention held in Port Harcourt, Saturday, the party sacked Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, as its national chairman.
The caretaker committee will pilot the affairs of the party for three months.
The Port Harcourt convention held even as another convention of the party held, same day in Abuja attended by Sheriff.
The Port Harcourt convention was preceded by controversy as Sheriff had announced the suspension of the National Convention, citing numerous court cases as the reason the decision.
However, Rivers State Governor and chairman of the convention committee said National Convention will hold as scheduled on Saturday.
Wike, Chairman of the party`s National Convention Committee, said at a news conference in Port Harcourt on Friday that all organs of the party approved the convention.
He said that all the organs of the party recognised by its constitution met and approved the convention.
“As I speak to you, the governors of the PDP in the 12 states we control, Deputy Senator President, party’s minority leader in the Senate, House of Representatives and every organ of the party are all in Port Harcourt for this convention”, he said.
Wike said the Independent National Electoral Commission had indicated that it would observe the convention.
According to him, those who planned to hold a parallel convention are still members of the party and will not be thrown away.
“PDP is still one. It will hold its National Convention on Saturday”, he said.
Wike also said that its acting National Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff, had clarified in writing that he did not go to court to stop the Port Harcourt convention.
He said the party`s legal team had filed a motion for stay of execution and an appeal against court orders stopping the convention.
“In consultation with our legal team, we have filed an appeal and stay of execution. It is clear that when an order is made and the party takes steps instantly by filing a motion for stay of execution and appeal, that party cannot be held for disobeying a court order”, he said.
Wike said the party was of the opinion that the purported court order by Sheriff was fraudulent because it did not emanate from him. (
It would be recalled that Sheriff, at a news conference in Port Harcourt, Saturday, said as a law abiding party it suspended the convention until all court cases were resolved.
“Members of the National Working Committee and I have been working since morning. We are confronted with a lot of challenges.
“The challenges are court cases and taking into account the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to supervise the election into the office of Chairman, Secretary and Auditor.
“Based on the order of the court and on the account that our party is responsible and law abiding with high respect to the judiciary and courts, we do hereby state and put off the National Convention,” he said.
Sheriff said the convention would be held when all court cases were resolved.
He said the issues raised in the cases were many and bothered on the expiration of the tenure of some offices in 2017 and 2018 and the fact that INEC said it would not supervise the election.
He also said that the NEC of the party did not want to be charged for contempt of court and decided to suspend the convention.
He urged all delegates to return to their various states until the issues were resolved.
“Whatever the decisions the court take, we will abide by it,” Sheriff said.
The PDP Port Harcourt National Convention was attended by all serving PDP governors in the South East and South South as well as former governors like Godswill Akpabio, Ahmed Makarfi, including Senator David Mark, among others.