Sheriff storms PDP national secretariat, as security stops him

Deposed opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chairman, Ali Modu-Sheriff stormed the party national secretariat this morning but was stopped by the security staff.

Sheriff and his National Working Committee (NEC) were sacked by the PDP at the party’s national convention held in Port Harcourt on May 21 and a national caretaker committee chosen to pilot the affairs of the party.

Deposed PDP Chairman, Ali Modu-Sheriff, and his supporters, early on Monday, stormed the Wadata Plaza National Secretariat to take over the party affairs.  The ousted chairman, told pressmen that he was at the Secretariat to resume duty because until the subsisting court cases were dispensed with, he remains the National Chairman.

Mr. Sheriff was chairman before the party’s national convention held in Port Harcourt on May 21, but before leaving the Rivers State capital that day, he announced the cancellation of the convention, citing court orders.

Sheriff, some aides and supporters were prevented from doing so by security personnel.

Other leaders of the party however ignored him and went ahead with the convention and also announced his sack and the appointment of a caretaker committee headed by former Kaduna State governor, Ahmed Makarfi.

Another group, led by a former Minister of Information, Jerry Gana,also held a parallel convention in Abuja and announced a former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, as the new chairman of the PDP.

Following the claim to the leadership of the party by three separate camps, the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, ordered a sealing of the secretariat in order to avoid clashes.

Sheriff, some aides and supporters attempted to enter the building but were prevented from doing so by security personnel.

However, some leaders of the party had last week announced that a reconciliation meeting had resolved all the issues, paving the way for the resumption of Mr. Makarfi and his committee at the secretariat.

They also claimed that the Sheriff group agreed to the reconciliation moves.

But shortly afterwards, Mr. Sheriff insisted that he remained the national chairman of the party.

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