From Ndubuisi Orji,  Abuja

National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, has dismissed the PDP Ministers Forum as an illegal body. He accused the former ministers of running the party and country aground.

The party leader was reacting to the outcome of the meting of the PDP Ministers Forum on Monday, where they passed a vote of confidence on the chairman of the party’s National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi.

Sheriff, who spoke through his deputy, Cairo Ojougboh, said the forum is not recognised by the PDP constitution.

“They (former ministers) were given the opportunity to implement the manifesto of the PDP, but they finished the party and the country; and, here, they are regrouping. Nigerians are not fools, they will not listen to them,” Sheriff stated.  He noted that the vote of confidence passed on Makarfi by the Ministers Forum is an act of impunity, which is aimed at winning support for the caretaker committee ahead of the Supreme Court judgment on the PDP leadership tussle. The PDP Constitution is very clear. They are not an organ of the party, they don’t exist in the rules of the party. These are people who cannot win elections in their wards. We don’t recognise them as organ of the party.

Related News

“We take exception to the comments of this group of persons who met yesterday and called themselves, forum of former ministers. We want to say, also, that it is very disheartening that persons of these calibre, some of them lawyers, would take impunity to the highest level by declaring that they support Makarfi. Because they are expecting judgment they want to sway the opinion of the Supreme Court.”

He accused the PDP ministers forum of trying to hijack the party because “they have a lot of money, but Sheriff has said no, the party is not for sale.”

“Our position is very clear! They might not support Sheriff and the reason is simple. They know they cannot buy Sheriff. PDP is for the masses and the governors have said whatever comes out of the Supreme Court is how the party would be.”

While thanking the PDP Governors Forum for expressing their readiness to accept the outcome of Supreme Court judgment, Sheriff said he will also abide by the court judgment.