I won’t be PDP chairman forever, says Sheriff

Ali Modu Sheriff, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Wednesday said he will not be chairman of the opposition party forever.

Speaking when some PDP leaders from the south-west paid him a visit in his office in Abuja, Sheriff said the party’s national secretariat which had been under lock since May would be re-opened before Friday.

He said he had commenced legal process that would allow the party leaders and workers to access the secretariat.

The police had said it closed the place to avoid a breakdown of law and order as a result of the leadership tussle between Sheriff and Ahmed Makarfi.

“Between now and Friday, we will move into our national secretariat,” he said

“We have transmitted the necessary document to the security agencies; including the Nigerian Police and the Department of State Security Services (DSS) to reopen it.

“My mission is to rebuild the party and bring it back to its 1999 position. I am not here to remain as chairman forever. I will leave after the convention.

“We will conduct a credible convention and whoever wants to be PDP leader can contest in the convention.”

He urged PDP leaders to go back to their respective wards and work for the party.

Sheriff also pleaded with governors to join him in rebuilding the party, saying they were leaders in their own right.

Makanjuola Ogundipe, PDP south-west zonal chairman, who led the team on the visit, said they were at Sheriff’s office to express the zone’s support for him.

Ogundipe said the visit was also to advise Sheriff to use his victory at the court to reunite everybody in the party, irrespective of what happened earlier.

“Now that you have been saddled with the leadership responsibility, we want to urge you to make sure that the party is revived within 40 days,” he said.