Victory for Sheriff? BoT asks PDP to relocate convention to Abuja

The board of trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has advised the national caretaker committee of the party to hold the next national convention in Abuja.

The board also asked the Ahmed Makarfi committee to constitute a new convention planning committee.

The recommendations are part of the conditions which Ali Modu Sheriff, factional chairman of the party, gave for peace to reign.

Sheriff had had demanded the removal of Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, as chairman of the convention planning committee, and the relocation of the convention from Port Harcourt to the federal capital territory (FCT).

He ended up approaching the court after realising that the party would not accede to his requests, and Sheriff had the upper hand, as the court granted his prayers, and the convention was eventually postponed.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the BoT meeting in Abuja on Monday, Walid Jibrin, national chairman of the board, advised the caretaker committee to work towards a transparent exercise.

“To ensure a credible, transparent, free and fair convention, a new convention planning committee should be constituted by the national caretaker committee and approved by national executive committee (NEC),” he said.

He also urged the BoT’s reconciliation committee headed by Jerry Gana, former minister of information, to continue with its reconciliation efforts.

Walid added that the BoT would facilitate the raising of adequate funds for the party’s activities, including the convention.

The BoT, which passed a vote of confidence on the caretaker committee, charged it to, as soon as possible, convene a meeting of the NEC of the party.