Embattled factional Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ali Modu Sheriff, on Thursday alleged that the Chairman of the party’s National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, sponsored Fulani herdsmen to evict him and his loyalists from the Wadata Plaza national secretariat of the PDP.
Speaking at his Abuja residence while inaugurating his faction’s version of the governorship election primaries committee for Edo State in Abuja, he said; “The National Secretary narrowly escaped being attacked by Fulani herdsmen. Makarfi sent Fulani herdsmen to the secretariat but thank God, they narrowly escaped death.”
On why he opted not to operate from the party office, Sheriff said the move was to allow for police investigations into the attack by the Fulani herdsmen, explaining that during the meeting, the former Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, held with him and Makarfi, it was agreed that the national secretariat should be shut and protected by the Police IG pending the investigations.
Sheriff also said that both parties in the conflict were asked to nominate four persons each to go into peace talks, but that he has insisted that Makarfi should first submit his own list to his office before the talks can begin.
According to Sheriff, “At the meeting, Arase advised that since nobody could take away the fact that I am still the national chairman, why don’t you allow us to conclude our investigations to find out who is behind the attack by the herdsmen, and I obliged. As soon as police conclude investigation, the secretariat shall be opened and I will operate from there.
“What we try to do is to always be on the side of the law, and today we are inaugurating our governorship primary for Edo State. I am waiting for Makarfi to bring his names, I am still the chairman. Yes, the former IG told us to nominate members and I told him when you are ready you call me.”
On the state of the party, particularly on the financial state of the party, Sheriff who denied that he was serving out Bamanga Tukur’s tenure, said only he and the National Treasurer were presently the authorised signatories to the party’s account, adding that his group is in control of the finances of the party at the moment.
“If they like, they can go and open a caretaker account,” Sheriff declared.
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