Politics

Court order ineffective, PDP laws make me chairman, Sheriff asserts

Published

8 years ago

August 18, 2016

PDP crisis deepens as court orders INEC to recognise only Sheriff's candidates

Embattled factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ali Modu Sheriff, has insisted he remains the chairman of the party in spite of the ruling of an Abuja High Court sitting in Kubwa.

According to Sheriff, the ruling of the Court in Kubwa does not affect his position as the chairman of the party because he is covered by the provisions of the 2012 constitution of the party.

Justice Ogbonnaya of Abuja high court had on Wednesday gave an order restraining Sheriff from “parading himself as chairman of PDP, convening any convention or conference on behalf of the party except the judgment is set aside”.

However, Sheriff, who spoke on Thursday through his factional Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Cairo Ojuogboh, said he is covered by the 2012 constitution which provides that a member of the party from the zone can replace any member of the National Working Committee that quits his position.

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Ojuogboh also disclosed that Sheriff will appeal the decision of the court to restore his legitimacy, adding that Sheriff was not a party to the suit that nullified the provisions of the 2014 constitution so he should not be affected by the Kubwa ruling.

“When you are too much in a hurry to kill your enemy, sometimes you kill yourself. Some persons went to justice Ashi and Sheriff was not party to the case. Justice Ashi gave judgement based on what was placed before him. Sheriff was not party to it and we have appealed it and asked for stay of execution. In that ruling, Justice Ashi annulled the amendment of the 2014 PDP constitution. In annulling it, we go back to 2012 constitution.

“In that constitution, it is stated that when an NWC member leaves his office by virtue of death or anything, somebody from that particular zone will be nominated and appointed to complete his tenure and continue in office until the next convention. That is what happened.

“The court annulled the 2014 constitution as amended, it does not affect Sheriff in any way. He will now stand on the 2012 constitution. We have taken it back to the court in an appeal. We will have an opportunity to rebuild the PDP” he said.

By Timothy Enietan-Matthews

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