The lawmaker representing Bayelsa east senatorial district, Ben Murray Bruce, has said he will work with former governor of Borno state, Ali Modu Sheriff, who was declared as the authentic chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, by the Appeal court in Port Harcourt on Friday.
The twitter-savvy media mogul took to the micro-blogging site on Saturday to state his position, stressing that the current bickering in the PDP is childish and irrelevant. He added that he is no longer in support of litigation.
In the post titled ‘My Position on the Appeal Court’s judgement concerning the Leadership of the PDP,’ Bruce who stated that PDP is on a course towards destruction, added that he is supporting Sheriff because it is the only way to preserve the party.
“Concerning the PDP, the current bickering is childish and irrelevant. I am not in support of anymore litigation. We will work with Ali Modu Sheriff and go to a convention. Right now, PDP is on a course towards destruction and abiding by the judgement of the court is the only thing that can save us. In the first place, it is never the job of the judiciary to choose the leader of a party. I therefore call an end to the fighting. And I am supporting Ali Modu Sheriff because it is the only way to preserve the party. Right now, what Nigeria has is a one-party state – there is no opposition. Enough is enough. This is the time for PDP to unite, we are a formidable force,” he posted.
The Appeal Court in Port Harcourt in a ruling Friday nullified PDP National Convention held in the Rivers capital in May 2016.
The court also nullified the National Caretaker Committee of the party constituted at the convention, and held that Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff remains the National Chairman of PDP. The Caretaker Committee was led by Senators Ahmed Makarfi.
Two out of the three-member Appeal Court, Justice B.G. Sanga and Justice A. Gumel, in their judgment said the Port Harcourt convention on May 21, 2016, was an abuse of court process.
Delivering the lead judgment, Sanga said that PDP did not follow the provisions of Article 47(3) of its Constitution in the removal of the Sherrif-led National Working Committee.
Justice Theresa Agbadua Orji, in her own judgment, said she found it difficult to agree with the positions of the two judges on the matter.
She argued that the contentious issue in the matter which was the judgment of July 4, 2016 by the lower court did not constitute any abuse of court process by the respondent as alleged.
She maintained that Sheriff actively participated in the screening exercise of the party before he backed out, emphasizing that he had no power as an individual to cancel or postpone the national convention because he was not the party.
