The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, says assisting Senator Ali-Modu Sheriff to the position of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is one of the worst decisions he has made in his political career.
Reacting to the development during an interview on Sunday Politics, which was aired on Channels Television, Wike said he regretted bringing Sheriff into the fold of PDP.
The governor said the PDP would file for a stay of execution on the appeal court’s decision, adding that afterwards, an appeal would be filed at the Supreme Court.
The governor said he was shocked by the ruling and maintained that Sheriff had no good intention for the opposition party.
“I do believe that even in life, even as human beings, there are times for setbacks and challenges. What has happened to us is a temporary setback,” he said.
“I will not support anything that has to do with Sheriff. I know that he doesn’t mean well for the party.
“He’s a mole in the party. His antecedents tell you that there are people behind who are not members of the party, who do not want PDP to exist.
“I’m not new in this game. Even the characters around him, they don’t augur well for the party.
“That is one of the worst political decisions I’ve ever taken. In life, when you take a decision and you realise that you made a mistake, in that decision you made, there is nothing stopping you from saying, ‘I’ve made a mistake, I think we can correct it’.
“Frankly, I have never regretted any decision I’ve taken than this decision. Politically, we have seen his conduct. It has shown that he does not mean well for the party. It will be difficult for me to work with him. That is clear. I don’t have that confidence that he can lead the party.”
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, Ayo Fayose, has said that unforeseen circumstances that sprang up after some leaders of the party (including himself) asked Ali Modu Sheriff to lead the PDP made them to change their minds about Sheriff’s competence.
Fayose, who was a guest on FOCUS NIGERIA, a live political programme on AIT, said Nigerians should stop viewing them as leaders that refuse to respect the rule of law but should understand that in politics, nothing is sacrosanct.
He explained that in a democracy which is characterized by a fragile political situation, circumstances can change in a minute and cause one to rethink the position on a particular issue.
The governor explained that it was until later that they discovered Sheriff lacked the capacity to lead an all-inclusive party like the PDP that has a good spread across the country. Hence, it was necessary to replace him.
Fayose said that the national convention of the party that was scheduled to hold in Port-Harcourt last year would have produced a South-Westerner from among Bode George, Jimi Agbaje, or Prof. Adeniran as national chairman, which would have put the leadership crisis in the party to rest, had that convention not been thwarted by Sheriff and his cohorts.
He said the choice of a Southerner for the national chairmanship position of the party was a common-sense fact and morally right since the party has decided that a Northerner will fly its flag in 2019.
The governor insisted that, for posterity sake, some leaders of the PDP will appeal the ruling of the appellate court that affirmed Sheriff as the leader of the party. He said the removal of Sheriff will bring a lasting solution to the crisis in the party, which, according to him, will fizzle out soon.
He said: “In politics, what you say today; circumstances can change it tomorrow. The reason is this; a minute is too long in politics. So many things can happen in politics. Nothing changes the party but it is the individuals in the party that makes things happen..
“These days, nobody has the right to zone any office to a particular geopolitical zone. Zoning is not in the constitution, Zoning is just a gentleman’s agreement that leadership should be rotational.
“If President Jonathan had allowed somebody in the North to contest for presidency under the PDP, President Buhari would not have had a field day in the North. Zoning is just common sense and morally right but it is not in the constitution of the party or the constitution of Nigeria.
“There are three ingredients that produce tomorrow in politics. They are the people, the party, and the candidate. I want to tell you the people component is the most important. Makarfi has the people of the party behind him.
“The amount of stalwarts that turned-up for the Makarfi stakeholders meeting shows you where the people are in the party.
“The PDP was founded on some many interests – the minority, the majority, everybody – it is an all-inclusive party that has a good spread. It is like a sleeping lion. So, anybody that is playing to the gallery or playing games with us should remember that what goes around will come around.
“Again let me tell you Ali Modu Sheriff joined PDP after a while. He will not say he is a founding member of the PDP. We will not abandon PDP to Sheriff or anybody. We will take the whole matter to a logical conclusion for posterity sake.
“To bring lasting peace in the PDP, we do not want Sheriff in any capacity in the party. That is the long and short of the solution to the PDP leadership crisis.
“If you want to lead PDP, there are certain things that must be part of the leadership qualities you must show. I reiterate we do not want Sheriff as our leader. Makarfi is our national chairman.
“This crisis will fizzle away. Let us watch and see.”
In another development, leaders of the two major factions of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, commenced a public campaign to woo the support of the party base, with Governor Ayodele Fayose, saying Senator Ali Modu Sheriff prostrated before some governors to be made national chairman at the botched national convention in Port Harcourt.
The bid for support came as former President Goodluck Jonathan disclaimed Tuesday’s newspaper reports that he endorsed Senator Sheriff as national chairman when Sheriff team visited him, Monday. In repudiating the reports, Jonathan also disclosed that he also, Monday, received the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led executive and the Board of Trustees in his ongoing efforts to mediate in the crisis.
Senator Makarfi’s spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye and Governor Ayodele Fayose, representing the Makarfi mainstream and Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, Deputy National Chairman, representing the Sheriff faction, were among the leading factional leaders who went on a circuit of the morning chat shows in Abuja, yesterday.
Protagonists on the side of the Makarfi executive reiterated their allegation of the involvement of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the crisis in the party, alleging a plot by the administration to kill opposition in the country. The assertion was dismissed, yesterday, evening by the APC which in a statement, denied any role in the crisis in the opposition party and also in the barricading, on Monday, of the International Conference Centre earlier slated for the meeting of the Makarfi group.
Meanwhile, media aide to Dr Jonathan, Mr. Ikechukwu Eze, while noting that the former president was playing a mediatory role, said members of the Makarfi executive were also received by the former President on Monday.
He stated that Jonathan opened his doors to Sheriff upon his request, just as he had earlier done to the Makarfi-led caretaker committee members, adding that the former President was prepared to broker more talks until the issues in the leadership of the PDP were finally resolved. He said: “Indeed, it may interest you to know that after meeting with Sheriff, the former President also met with Senator Ahmed Makarfi, leader of the PDP Caretaker Committee, and the party’s Board of Trustees chairman, Senator Walid Jubril, later in the evening.”
Eze emphasised that “as a peace-loving leader of the party, the former President’s interest is to help reposition PDP to enable it play a constructive role in the affairs of the nation, in view of the imperative of deepening the nation’s democracy.”444