PDP BoT: We took over without sacking Makarfi

The board of trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it has not sacked the national caretaker committee chaired by Ahmed Makarfi.

The committee was set up following the dissolution of the national working committee (NWC) at the party’s convention in Port Harcourt on May 21.

In a statement on Thursday, the board explained that it did not sack the Makarfi-led committee, but that it was only managing affairs of the party temporarily owing to conflicting court orders against the committee and the dissolved NWC.

“The attention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to reports in the media insinuating that the board of trustees (BoT) has sacked the national caretaker committee led by H. E. Senator Ahmed Makarfi and has taken over executive role in the party,” the statement issued by Chinwe Nnorom, head of publicity of the party, read.

“The board of trustees is responding to the contradictory court orders against the national caretaker committee and the dissolved national working committee (NWC) in order not to leave a vacuum occasioned by the said court orders. This action of taking over the national secretariat by the BoT began on Tuesday May 31, 2016 pursuant to Part ix, section (5)(e) of the party constitution (as amended in 2012) which empowers the BoT as the only organ of the party vested with the assets and custodians of such assets.

“For emphasis, the PDP is one and united and the board of trustees as the conscience of the party is performing one of its constitutional powers by mediating in the leadership crisis that has befallen the party following the outcome of the just concluded national convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers state. The BoT therefore did not and has not sacked the national caretaker committee.”