The embattled national chairman of Nigeria’s opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ali Sheriff, has said the party’s secretariat in Wadata Plaza will re-open before Friday.
Mr Sheriff, who was recently declared as the authentic leader of the party by the Court of Appeal, made the promise on Wednesday when he received some PDP leaders from South-West.
The party national secretariat had been under lock since after its national convention held on May 20, 2016.
The police said they took the action to avoid breakdown of law and order as a result of the leadership tussle between Sheriff-led and Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee.
Mr Sheriff told the leaders from South West who visited him in his office in Abuja that he had commenced legal process that would allow the party leaders and workers to access the secretariat.
He added that “between now and Friday, we will move into our national secretariat.
“We have transmitted the necessary document to the security agencies; including the Nigerian Police and the Department of State Security Services (DSS) to reopen it.”
The Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt on February 17 ruled in his favour.
He said “my mission is to rebuild the party and bring it back to its 1999 position.
“I am not here to remain as chairman forever. I will leave after the convention.
“We will conduct a credible convention and whoever wants to be PDP leader can contest in the convention.”
He urged PDP leaders to go back to their respective wards and work for the party.
He also pleaded with governors to join him in rebuilding the party, saying they were leaders in their own right.
The PDP South West Zonal Chairman, Makanjuola Ogundipe, who led the team on the visit, said they were at Mr Sheriff’s office to express the zone’s support for him.
Mr Ogundipe said the visit was also to advise Sheriff to use his victory at the court to reunite everybody in the party, irrespective of what happened earlier.
He added that “you must see yourself as father to all’’.
“Now that you have been saddled with the leadership responsibility, we want to urge you to make sure that the party is revived within 40 days.”
NAN
