From Taiwo Amodu, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP) Caretaker Committee, under the leadership of former Kaduna State governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has formally assumed office.
Makarfi surfaced yesterday at Wadata Plaza, the party’s national secretariat, for a hand over ceremony in company of his secretary, Senator Ben Obi.The hand over ceremony was a culmination of peace meetings initiated by the party’s board of trustees and the governors’  forum.
At a  meeting held on Monday at the Ondo State Governor’s Lodge, at the instance of the governors, the Board of Trustees (BoT) agreed to hand over to the Ahmed Makarfi committee, a creation of the national convention held in Port Harcourt, which had since dissolved the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff led national working committee.
The embattled former Borno State governor was absent at the meeting and was nowhere near the party’s national secretariat yesterday.
Daily Sun gathered that all entreaties made to him had been rebuffed, as he insisted he is the authentic chairman of the party.
Certain members of the dissolved PDP National Working Committee were, however, present at the hand over ceremony. In attendance were Uche Secondus, Kema Chikwe, Abubakar Mustapha and Victor Kwom, former deputy national chairman, Women Leader, National Organising Secretary and National Legal Adviser, respectively. The former national youth leader in the dissolved national working committee, Abdulahi Maibasira, was also sighted.
Addressing newsmen yesterday, the former Kaduna state governor promised to deliver on the assignment his committee has been saddled with and further pleaded for understanding from aggrieved members.
He said: “In the process of doing this, if we have hurt anybody, I, as chairman of the caretaker, publicly apologise on behalf of everybody.
“Let them, in the spirit of  democracy, also embrace dialogue and accommodate each other and move the party forward.”
Makarfi further admonished former faithful of PDP, who are now with the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC), to exercise restraint while casting aspersion on the last administration.
“Equally, I hope APC members, especially those that have spent their greater lives in PDP before they defected, when talking, should think twice.
“When they talk, they say 16 years of PDP, they should include themselves,” Makarfi said.
In his remarks, Secondus expressed delight that the party was still intact, despite its recent challenges.
“The former working committee members are here, they can see that the governors are intact. They can see that the senators are intact and are ably led by the Deputy Senate President. They can see that the BoT is intact. We are not divided.”
He appealed to the party faithful to continue to galvanise support for it at the grassroots.
“We have to restate here, that all politics are local. Our leaders must go back to the grassroots. It is not enough to be in Abuja. It is not enough to say, I am strong in Abuja; it isn’t  enough to say I am former this, I am former that. I am strong here, I am strong there.
“ You must be able to prove your worth in local politics and popularity.
“We are no longer in government, we no longer have security agencies or money. So, what matters is the grassroots, the popularity of your person at the grassroots to be able to deliver, do not wait for another person to deliver for you while you earn all the glory in Abuja.
“So, go back home and campaign for your party.”
Chairman of BoT, Senator  Walid Jubrin, dismissed media reports that the organ of the party took over administration of its secretariat, as he noted that “we only took over the assets and liabilities of the party as mandated by the party’s constitution in the face of a leadership crisis.”