A former Deputy National Chairman of the deposed Senator Ali Modu Sheriff’s faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, has said that members of the party loyal to the former National Chairman of the party will not defect to other political parties over the recent judgmentby the Supreme Court.
Ojougboh spoke when the leaders of the Sheriff’s faction in Delta State met at the Orhuwhoruh residence of the state factional chairman of the party, Chief Austin Ogbaburhon, in Udu Local Government Area of the state on Sunday evening.
He noted that the party belongs to every member and thus would not leave it for the new leadership of the party.
Ojougboh added that Sheriff’s interest had always been to strengthen the party from the states to ward levels while they await proper briefing of their lawyers, who he said, were studying the Supreme Court judgment after which they would decide on the next step to take.
He said, “Our interest all this while is to resuscitate the PDP.
This has been Sheriff’s desire. So, we are not leaving the party. We are going to strengthen the party from states to ward levels and if the Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee can do it, we will be very happy to see that internal democracy is returned.
“If all party members are treated equally, we will all be very happy and work for the party. The most important thing is that the party is supreme and that’s what we recognise and it is our position. Basically, today’s meeting is a state caucus meeting which was convened to brief the state exco of what’s going on at the national level and we have asked them to go back and continue the membership drive.
“We have told them of the position of the party at the national level which is to pray and wait like the apostles waited for the Holy Spirit….We are not averse to the Supreme Court judgement . The court has spoken and the law has spoken but we want to have their reasons. Our prayer is that the party should begin to grow from strength to strength.”
Speaking at the meeting, Ogbaburhon insisted that despite the Supreme Court judgment , he remained the authentic State Executive Council chairman and would continue to mobilise people of the state to grow the party. He said,
“We wouldn’t queue behind anybody until we get a clear direction from our national body. The case of Delta State is different from every other state and at the state level we have our strength and we wouldn’t play second fiddle as far as the PDP Delta State is concern.”
The PDP leaders at the meeting also resolved not to play second fiddle following the recent development in the party while insisting that they remain authentic members of the party and would continue to oppose any form of impunity and actions that portend lack of internal democracy.
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