I'm working towards settling PDP leadership crises, but will not handover to Makarfi - Sheriff

The ousted Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Sen Ali Modu Sheriff has disclosed that there are moves to settle the leadership crises currently rocking the party but maintained that his faction will not relinquish the party's National Secretariat to his contender, who is the Chairman of the party's Caretaker Committee, Sen Ahmed Makarfi.
Nigerian police had on May 22 locked down the party's National Secretariat located in Abuja following violent clashes between supporters of both rival factions over who should be the authentic leader of the party.

Sheriff gave the hint while speaking through the Deputy National Chairman of his faction, Dr. Cairo Ojughoh.

He said, "It is true the two groups are discussing, looking for ways of finding political solutions to the crisis.

"However, that political solution does not include the permission for the Makarfi group to open the national secretariat. We are not part of such an arrangement and we won't support it.

"This is because the court says that only the Sheriff group should be allowed to send names of candidates for elections in both Edo and Ondo states to the Independent National Electoral Commission. That is a confirmation of authority."

Sheriff, however, urged the police to hold the Makarfi-led faction responsible for any breakdown of law and order that could follow the move to "illegally reopen the national secretariat when all issues have yet to be resolved."