Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have said they would not be part of the National Convention being proposed by the National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.
They stated this yesterday in response to a statement reportedly made by Sheriff last Wednesday when he received members of the party from the South West.
The former Borno State Governor had on Wednesday said he would quit office as “soon as a national convention is held and new national officers are produced.”
But the PDP governors, who are members of Ahmed Makarfi-led faction, maintained that they would never be part of the convention.
Speaking on the development with our correspondent  yesterday, the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, said the proposed convention would be an exercise in futility.
He said, “We will never be part of the convention because it is an exercise in futility.
“The case is already at the Supreme Court so we await the outcome of the case.
“I repeat, Sheriff is a general without army. Who are his governors or top political office holders”?
Meanwhile, Senator Ahmed Makarfi faction of the PDP has described the take over of the secretariat of the party by Senator Modu Sheriff as “illegal and most unwelcome”
A statement signed by Dayo Adeyeye reacting to the action said Sheriff should be held responsible for any loss of party document and property.  “As far as we are concerned, the forceful entry of Ali Modu-Sheriff and his team into the party secretariat is illegal and most unwelcome.
“We say this because the keys to the secretariat are with the Board of Trustees and we’ve checked with them, and can confirm that the keys were not handed over to Sheriff or any of his followers. “The implication of this was that he broke into the secretariat which is a criminal offence.
“We also expected that Modu-Sheriff should have waited for the conclusion of the Appeal we filed at the Supreme Court before he forced himself in just like we held on when we got court judgement favouring us last year.
“We are condemning his action in totality and we view it as an affront on the rule of law. “Given his act of illegality, we stated clearly that he should be held responsible for any loss of documents or damage to the property within the party secretariat.
“The administrative staff as accounting officers were not around to see the event happen, and as the custodians of the property of the party, they refused to participate in the illegal entry made by Ali Modu-Sheriff. “His action is provocative and is capable of causing another round of crisis in the party.
“We advise him in his own interest, to vacate the secretariat immediately. “We also call on authority of the Nigerian Police to prevent chaos by flushing Ali Modu-Sheriff and his team out of the PDP secretariat and let all parties wait for the judgement of the Supreme Court which is the highest court in the land” he said.
In another development,  members of the party in the House of Representatives, yesterday, threatened to drag Senator Ali Modu Sheriff to the Supreme Court in a bid to upturn the recent Appeal Court judgment that recognised him (Sheriff) as the authentic national chairman of the party.
The PDP caucus also told Sheriff to hands off the party and declared their support for the Senator Ahmed Markarfi-led faction of the party.
The lawmakers in a statement signed by its leader, Leo Ogor, expressed utter disappointment with the Appeal Court judgment that recognised Sheriff as national chairman of the party, saying the decision deserved to be challenged at the Supreme Court.
The Caucus emphasized that while a political solution might be considered later, there was need to approach the Supreme Court with hope for a final interpretation of the law that would serve the interest of the people.
The statement read:
“The PDP caucus of the House of Representative wishes to state categorically that it finds the Court of Appeal verdict that nullified the decision of the national convention of the PDP on May 21, 2016 and reinstated the Modu Sheriff leadership very discomforting, the caucus supports the decision of the Ahmed Makarfi Caretaker Committee to seek redress at the Supreme Court.
“The Caucus appeals to all leaders and members of the Peoples Democratic Party to please remain calm and focused, standing firmly on the position that there is no way the party will accept the Ali Modu Sheriff contraption which is yet to demonstrate any genuine iota of love for the party.
“Their activities in Edo and Ondo states are very fresh in peoples’ minds and as such, no honest and sincere member of our party can trust them; with such fundamental flaws of character and gross disdain for peace, order and brotherly relations.”