Olabode George
Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Deputy National Chairman Chief Olabode George yesterday declared that Senator Ali Modu Sheriff’s tenure as chairman has ended. He urged the former Borno State governor to accept his fate.
He said Sheriff went to the party’s national convention in Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, as a national chairmanship aspirant seeking re-election. After picking the nomination form, he appeared before the pre-convention screening panel for clearance, George said.
The former Ondo State military governor acknowledged the impact of the leadership crisis on the party, stressing that the PDP can become a vibrant opposition party, if united, coherent and focused.
George spoke with reporters in Lagos on the leadership logjam, Sheriff’s remarks about the Edo State PDP primary, Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose’s battle with the anti-graft agency and the rift between the Senate and the Presidency.
He chided Sheriff for making what he described an unguarded statement on the Edo primary, adding that he was trying to create an impression of crisis and division in his bid to deliberately deny the benefit of a governorship candidate in the Southsouth state.
The former deputy chairman urged Sheriff to desist from what he described as “political lunacy and rascality”, adding that there is a subsisting legal directive that he should not parade himself as the chairman.
George said: “Sheriff is an ex-PDP Acting Chairman. He should go home. He is barely two years old in the party and he does not know the party culture. He ceased to be the chairman at the convention. He was a chairmanship aspirant, who took the nomination form and appeared before the screening committee. You can’t be the midwife and the new born baby. The tenure of the NWC has ended.”
Noting that the setting up of the Caretaker Committee headed by Senator Ahmed Makarfi was legal, the chieftain added: “There was a directive that there should be no election into the offices of the chairman, secretary and auditor. The convention is empowered to set up the caretaker committee. It was constitutionally set up and it has the right to organise a new convention.”
George described the PDP as a formidable grassroots party with an incredible resilience, lamenting that the leadership crisis is diverting its attention and focus as a vibrant opposition party.
He blamed the party leadership for not invoking the provision of the PDP constitution, which forbids members from taking the party to court when all avenues for the ventilation of grievances have not been fully explored.
He said: “Those who took the party to court should have been fired. Sheriff cannot lead the party again. We will have new mangers.”
George frowned at the activities of Prof. Wale Oladipo, Adeyanju and Buriji Kashamu, who are supporting Sheriff, recalling that the secretary and auditor became party officers because their rivals were asked to step down for them at the zonal congress.
He added: “I expect the professor to have a deeper and more rational mind. If he is now taking orders from Buruji, his former students will not like it. Wale should not disgrace Yoruba. His children and grand children will read all these stories in the newspapers. I urge him to come back home honourably.”
George lent his voice to the controversy triggered by the freezing of Fayose’s account, saying that the rule of law will prevail. He stressed: “Ayo is my son. he has his own style. Two wrongs cannot make a right. Let us follow the rule of law. He cannot be prosecuted because of Section 308 of the Constitution.”
The retired Commodore said politicians are heating up the polity at a time poverty and hunger are ravaging Nigeria.
George urged elder statesmen and former presidents to wade into the crisis between the Senate and President Muhammadu Buhari in the interest of democracy.
He said: “There are three arms of government and if one arm is wobbling, there will be instability. “
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