PDP crisis: Shuluwa urges BoT to take over party

From Rose Ejembi, Makurdi

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chieftain in Benue, Chief Abu King Shuluwa has harped on the need for the Board of Trustees (BOT) to without any further delay, take over the runnings of the party until the crisis rocking it is resolved.
Shuluwa who gave this submission yesterday expressed sadness that the party had been taken over by those he described as gangsters, warning that if the crisis continued, it could break the party and block its chance of reclaiming power in 2019.
“If what is happening now is allowed to go on and PDP refuses to put its house in order, it will break the party. So, PDP must be ready and willing to forget the past and form a formidable force. But are we ready for that? No.”
While lamenting that the courts have also largely contributed to the problems of the PDP by giving conflicting judgments to the different factions, Shuluwa called on the leaders of the party to come together and form a formidable force to enable it overcome its present predicament.
The PDP stalwart who also regretted that congresses in almost all states of the federation had not been free and fair said he would not leave the PDP, but would align with any faction ready to conduct a fresh congress in Benue.
“The whole congress is a mess except for Adamawa, Bauchi and a few other states. How can you then have a convention in Port Harcourt when you didn’t have congresses in the states? he queried.
Crisis rocked the party with the emergence of two factions headed by Ahmed Makarfi Ali Modu Sheriff, following the party’s aborted national convention.
The development has torn apart the erstwhile ruling party and self-acclaimed largest party in Africa as neither the Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee nor the Sheriff group is ready to shift position. They even declined to name representatives into the proposed “peace talks committee.”
The crisis has been further fueled by the spate of conflicting judgments.
Both Makarfi and Sheriff have traded words and accusations, with both men accusing each other of planning to destroy the party.