One of the factional Chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, met with some state chairmen of the party in Abuja on Tuesday.
Sources at the meeting, which was held at the faction’s secretariat of the PDP located at Wuse 2, said that the former governor of Kaduna State begged for the support of the state chairmen.
Makarfi and a former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff, are currently in court, fighting for the leadership of the party.
It was gathered that the Makarfi faction also briefed the state chairmen on the crisis in the party.
Specifically, he was said to have appealed to them to stand with the faction and its candidate for the November 26 governorship election in Ondo State, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN).
One of the state chairmen, who was at the meeting and spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity because he was not officially permitted to speak on the issue, described the atmosphere at the meeting as sober.
He said, “It was a very sober meeting. We were briefed by the chairman on the crisis in the party and all that.
“Apart from begging us to keep supporting him, he also asked us to support Jegede for the governorship election in Ondo State.
“He also briefed us on how the peace talks with the Sheriff faction failed and all that. But in all, we left the meeting in a sad mood because we don’t like what’s happening in the party.”
The spokesperson for the faction, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, however, stated in a statement that the meeting deliberated on topical national issues.
He said that the meeting was convened at the instance of Makarfi and other members of the National Caretaker Committee of the party.
He said the former governor of Kaduna “briefed the state chairmen on the developments in the party and some certain decisions taken by the leadership.
“The meeting also received reports from the state chairmen on the state of affairs in their various states.
“The meeting equally was optimistic that justice shall surely be served and therefore, both teams reiterated full support for the party’s candidate in the Saturday, November 26, 2016 governorship election in Ondo State, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) as the standard bearer of the party.”
Adeyeye called on members of the party nationwide, its supporters and the general public, and especially Ondo people, to remain calm and continue supporting the Makarfi-led faction in moving the party forward.
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