I’ll not hold parallel congress in Anambra — Makarfi

The Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has assured party members that the mistakes made in Ondo and Edo states, which gave the All Progressives Congress (APC) upper hand, will not be repeated in Anambra State. 

By implication, Makarfi has by this position conceded to the embattled national chairman of the PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, to produce the gubernatorial candidate of the party ahead of the November 2017 election in Anambra.

Sheriff had on Monday met with PDP chieftains from Anambra where they discussed the forthcoming election.

The former Kaduna governor said state chapters of the PDP where elections are to be conducted in future should ensure they produce popular candidates to avoid splitting of votes.

Makarfi, who spoke in Kaduna while reacting on the crisis in the party and efforts by former President Goodluck Jonathan and other stakeholders to broker peace, said members of the caretaker committee still enjoy the support of all stakeholders.

He said the caretaker committee will not engage in any anti-party activities that would jeopardize the prospect of the PDP in any election in the future.

“Yes, Modu Sheriff is performing certain duties; I was also approached as caretaker committee chairman by some state chapters on some matters. And because I don’t want to cause the kind of problem like what Modu Sheriff caused in Edo and Ondo, I referred them to Wadata Plaza because I am a party man.

Daily Trust reports that Sheriff is currently holding sway at the Wadata Plaza, which is the national headquarters of the party.

According to Makarfi, “I could have chosen to behave the way Modu Sheriff behaved in Edo and Ondo; but we reflected on it and say ‘no we would not do that. Let us not engage in what would deny the party any chance of electoral victory at whatever level irrespective of whether people are sympathetic to us or not. The interest of the party should be paramount,”’ he said.