Makarfi and Sheriff factions Meet to Resolve PDP Crisis

The main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, may soon have the crisis rocking it be a thing of the past as the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi and factional leader Senator Ali Modu Sheriff met in Abuja on Tuesday with a view to resolving the dispute.

After the meeting between the two parties was held at an undisclosed venue in Abuja with representatives of each faction jointly addressing a press conference where they confirmed talks were ongoing to reposition the party.

Senator Ben Obi, who represented Makarfi, corroborated the statement read by Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, the representative of Sheriff at a neutral venue away from both factions’ offices,Punch writes.

“This is without prejudice to all outstanding matters in court,” the statement read.

“At a meeting held this morning between the two of us, a holistic review of the state of affairs of our great party, the PDP, was deliberated upon.

“In reviewing the crisis that has engulfed our party since the loss of the 2015 general election after 15 years of uninterrupted leadership at the centre, it became obvious to both of us as principal actors that it was time to heal the wounds and bring about a united, focused and constructive opposition party that could bring sanity to our democratic process.”

Both Senator Ahmed Makarfi and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff camps reaffirmed their commitment to bringing relief to supporters of the PDP and to the benefit of the country, stating that after due consultations, they’d agreed to set up a joint committee “that will carry out a holistic reconciliation of all aggrieved segments of our party across the country and in Diaspora.”

They called on all members of the party to remain calm and refrain from any divisive actions and utterances, stating that they had agreed to pursue the vision of the founding fathers of the party.