I Will Not Run For Chairman – Sheriff Says As Pdp Prepares For Convention

BEVERLY HILLS, March 07, (THEWILL) – The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff has promised not to run for the position of Chairman of the party as the party prepares for its National Convention.

Sheriff made this known in Abuja on Tuesday as he received the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Reconciliation of the PDP, headed by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State.

Dickson submitted the recommendations of the committee to Sheriff with a proposition that the party should hold its National Convention as soon as possible; preferably, before June 30 .

Dickson, who read the resolution of the committee, restated its commitment to the pursuit of a political solution as the best option for resolving the on-going challenges facing the party without prejudice to the ongoing judicial process.

“We hope that our party will have the opportunity to put behind us needless crisis which has engulfed the party since last year,” he said.

“Many of Our leaders are impatient to see us come back together and once again represent the people of Nigeria.”

The Committee, according to him, proposed that the convention planning Committee should have 7 State Governors, 7 Senators including the Deputy Senate President, 12 members of the House of Representatives, 6 Members of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) and 6 National Vice-Chairmen (one per zone).

Others are 3 State Chairmen per zone (18), 6 serving Speakers of the State Houses of Assembly, 6 former Governors, former Presiding Officers of the National Assembly (who are still members of the party), 6 Prominent Women Leaders, 6 PDP Youth Leaders, 6 former Ministers of the party and 12 others to be nominated by the National Chairman in consultation with stakeholders.

The Committee also resolved that the Convention Committee shall be responsible for the conduct of the elections to all National Offices of the party including the zoning of such offices.

Dickson said, “as part of the sacrifice to be made in order to reposition the party, the Committee is of the view that all National Officers who may claim that their tenure still subsists beyond the proposed convention are hereby requested to relinquish their claim in the interest of the party.

“For the purpose of the convention, all officers elected at the Ward, Local, State and Zonal levels before the first Port-Harcourt Convention of May 21, 2016 are deemed validly elected except for the election held in some states that were declared by NEC as inconclusive.

“The proposed National Convention should hold as soon as possible and not later than June 30, 2017 . The Committee shall continue to engage the party leadership and all relevant stakeholders with a view to having a hitch free convention and calls upon all and sundry to work towards the realisation of this objective.

“The committee appreciates the efforts of the former President, Governors and other leaders of the party for their efforts at resolving the leadership crises in the party.”

In his response, Sheriff promised to look into the recommendations of the Committee with a view to finding amicable resolution of the PDP crisis.

He said, “whether we like it or not, there will be crisis. But the way and manner we settle our differences matters a lot.

“I want to tell you and restate it that the victory in Appeal Court is not for me alone but for all of us in PDP. There are no victor, no vanquished. I repeat again that I will not run for the position of PDP Chairman.

“You have taken every member of the party along, none was left behind. We will sit down, come back and tell Nigerians. We are ready to face Nigerians and tell them the outcome of your recommendations. But I want to assure you that we will implement it well because this Party belongs to all of us.

“Sooner than later, we will come out. We are committed to making sure that the right thing is done. We will meet and communicate to you before we communicate to Nigerians.”