Court sacks Sheriff as PDP chairman

An Abuja high court has removed Ali Modu Sheriff as the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Justice Valentine Ashi, the judge, on Tuesday, nullified the 2014 amended constitution of the PDP through which Sheriff was appointed chairman.

He held that the process of amending some sections of the party’s constitution ran contrary to the Electoral Act, declaring the positions of Sheriff and other PDP executive as null and void.

The judgment followed a suit filed by Joseph Jero, a member of the party.

However, Wale Oladipo, former national secretary of the PDP, issued a statement to say Sheriff remains the national chairman of the party.

Oladipo claimed that Sheriff had not been sacked by any court.

“Our attention has been drawn to reports circulating in the media that a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has ousted the National Chairman of the PDP, Sen. Ali-Modu Sheriff,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.

“This is completely false and a clear misrepresentation of the ruling of the court as it never gave any ruling ousting the National Chairman.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the court only heard and delivered judgment on a matter concerning certain amendments in the PDP constitution, which has nothing to do with the election of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the National Chairman or even that of his predecessor, Alhaji Adamu Muazu.

“Senator Ali Modu Sheriff was duly elected as the National Chairman of the PDP. He still holds office as the National Chairman and has not been removed by any court.

“We therefore urge those misleading the media and the unsuspecting public to desist from such. The media is also urged to always cross-check their facts before going to press.”

The PDP has been embroiled in a leadership since its national convention in Port Harcourt.

While Sheriff had mid-way announced the cancellation of the exercise, some leaders of the party went ahead with it, setting up a caretaker committee chaired by Ahmed Makarfi, former Kaduna state governor.

The committee was given three months to steer the affairs of the party, and to hold another convention at the end of the term.

But Sheriff described the committee as illegal, insisting that he is still the chairman of the party.