TheCable

Factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ali Modu Sheriff, speaking through his deputy, Cairo Ojugboh, has asked the opposition party to recognise him as substantive chairman to put an end to its lingering internal strife.

Ojugboh’s comment was in reaction to a statement put out on Saturday by the national working committee of the PDP headed by Ahmed Makarfi.

Speaking to The Punch, Ojugboh on behalf of the Sheriff faction said, “Adeyeye would put the party in further mess with his utterances.

“If that’s true (the allegation against Sheriff), Adeyeye should also blame the PDP governors who invited him to come and head the party. What he’s saying won’t help the party at all. In any case, the earlier the party gives full recognition to Sheriff, the earlier we will be out of this mess.”

Sheriff was accused of being sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to destroy the party – by creating division and ill-feeling within the ranks.

The interim spokesman of the group, Dayo Adeyeye, had said Sheriff was “on a designed mission to kill and destroy the party and all its gains in nurturing and sustaining democracy in the country.

“Sheriff and his group have been shopping and approaching law courts with dubious information for interlocutory orders to keep them afloat, until it frustrates governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states as designed by their sponsors. Legitimacy in politics is not given through a procured interlocutory injunction but through the mandate of the people, and Sheriff and his cohorts will soon realise this.”

“We are aware that Sheriff’s sponsors have urged him to sustain his illicit role for a while and create a semblance of a faction in the party to give way for some elected PDP members to take the advantage to defect, but unknown to them, members of our great party are aware of their game and have vowed to resist them.”