The National chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ali Modu Sheriff has on Sunday disclosed that the Appeal Court’s ruling in his favour as the authentic Chairman is a victory for the Party.
He made this disclosure when he visited the uphill mansion of former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida in company of former Niger state governor Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu in Minna where they had a closed door meeting that lasted for about two hours.
According to him “my victory is a victory for the PDP all over Nigeria. There is no loser, it is just a misunderstanding within a family, and we are calling on everybody to come together so that the party can be a formidable one once again.”
IBB had earlier before the closed door meeting commended Sheriff for the manner at which he handled his victory at the Appeal court saying, “I am very happy with your statement after the court ruling, it shows that there is room for reconciliation and unity. There is the need to bring everybody back together to make the party a formidable opposition party.
Speaking to Journalists on the purpose of his visit after two hours close door meeting, Sheriff said “IBB is our father, during our meeting he said he is happy with my statement after the court ruling. He told me to continue that way so that I can bring everybody back together to make the party a formidable opposition party.”
“What we want to do now is how to put the party back to shape so that everyone that is aggrieved is brought back as one united family once again. Look, united we stand, divided we fall.”
When asked if he has gotten across to the factional Chairman, Ahmed Makarfi, he said “I have even called Makarfi himself. And I have called on everybody to come back so that we can work together.”
Also, former Niger state governor, Babangida Aliyu has called on all members to rally round the Chairman Ali Modu Sheriff, saying that “he is the Chairman of the Party, and those of us who love to see solution to this party will continue to find ways of mending. ”
“Now that we have a legal decision which support the position of the matter, even though other people talk about going higher (Supreme Court), others are saying ‘No’ we should start widening the solution. That we don’t waste time in terms of legality.
“That is why for the moment, until anybody is able to go higher and setting aside the decision of the court. For the moment, Ali Modu Sheriff is the Chairman of the Party, and those of us who love to see solution to this party will continue to find ways of mending.
“I think we should all bury our ambitions, you can have an ambition without a platform. We need to have a platform first of all and we are in the opposition, and we need time to organise and reorganise and go back to the people with plausible real solution to their problems. If we don’t get these solutions, then what do we have?
“We need to all come together and appeal to all of us, all PDP lovers and members to really look at the issues objectively so that we have a platform that we can call a Party which can win elections. Not a fragmented party.”
Sheriff however snubbed the State Chairman of the PDP Barrister Tanko Beji who has aligned himself with the factional Chairman, Ahmed Makarfi.
