The Senator Ali Sheriff-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has threatened to take disciplinary legal action against the Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee if it continues to speak for the party.
A statement issued by Bernard Mikko, acting National Publicity Secretary of Sheriff-led faction, warned that a court order had declared the committee illegal.
He recalled that a Federal High Court presided over by Justice Okon Abang in Abuja had declared the Makarfi caretaker `contraption’ as illegal.
“It will therefore be contemptuous of the court order for Prince Dayo Adeyeye or any member of the illegal Makarfi caretaker contraption to speak for the PDP when a valid court order to the contrary is still subsisting,” Mikko said.
Mikko, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the attention of the faction’s National Working Committee (NWC) had been drawn to various comments on the state of affairs in the PDP.
He said that various comments were credited to “one Prince Dayo Adeyeye’’ who claimed to be speaking as the National Publicity Secretary (National Caretaker Committee), particularly as the reconciliation process appears to have relapsed.
He explained that the reconciliation relapsed due to Makarfi’s insistence not to disband his caretaker committee when Sheriff is inclined to step down at the next unity convention of the party
The convention is expected to usher in new executive members of the party.
Mikko said: “Adeyeye is hereby reminded that the terms of the MoU for reconciliation did not vitiate subsisting court orders without prejudice to pending legal matters.
“While we will respect the terms of the MoU in the reconciliation process, we will not fail to activate the legal processes and hold them in contempt for any breach of the law.
“If they continue the impunity and act in disobedience of the law, disciplinary legal procedures, particularly forms 48 and 49 will be processed against them.’’
Mikko however assured PDP members and stakeholders of Sheriff’s commitment to resolve the leadership imbroglio in accordance with the law.
Meanwhile, the party has said it has been vindicate by the All Progressives Congress’s (APC) open acceptance of responsibility regarding the economic misfortune caused by the federal government it controls.
In a statement issued yesterday by the spokesman of the PDP, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, the party said the APC’s action had vindicated the opposition party’s earlier position that the Muhammadu Buhari administration was clueless and lacks focus in providing governance to Nigerians.
A chieftain of the APC and Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha had last week said that the ruling party is not only accepting responsibility for the hardship facing Nigerians but is prepared to address it.
In the statement the PDP said that such a “declaration coming after several months of bulk-passing and shifting responsibilities to previous PDP administration has shown that the APC government has no solution to all the myriad of problems they created since assuming office in May 2015”
“The APC should also accept responsibility for deceiving Nigerians and the world at large that previous PDP administration achieved nothing in the economy, infrastructure and policies in 16 years.
“We hope that the recent acceptance by the party for the economic downturn in the country was not as a result of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) affirmation that Nigeria’s economy is the largest in Africa based on previous achievements of the past PDP-led administration. For the umpteenth time, let us re-iterate that the PDP’s achievements cannot be wished away.
“We therefore appreciate the APC’s acceptance and we urge them to accept all other responsibilities for all the wrongs they have plunged the country into and equally apologize for their serial lies.
“Finally, we want to once again urge this government to declare emergency on the economy and invite competent hands to manage and revive the ailing and comatose economy.
THISDAY
