The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ali Sheriff, on Friday met with a founding member of the party, Tony Anenih, over party’s leadership crisis.
The Court of Appeal had on February 17, pronounced Mr Sheriff as chairman of the party, while the Ahmed Markafi group said it would appeal the ruling.
Mr Markafi, a former governor of Kaduna State is being supported by the present PDP governors.
Mr Sheriff, after the closed-door meeting with Mr Anenih at his Abuja resident, informed journalists that the visit was to seek Mr Anenih’s advice on ways to reposition the party.
“If there are two founding fathers, Cheif Anenih is one. Therefore, as a father, I came to consult with him.
“I came to tell him that this is the situation we are. He as a father who formed this party, should help us on how to reposition the party to the period of 1999.
“Baba has given us kind and fatherly advice on all matters,’’ Sheriff said.
Mr Anenih, a former Board of Trustees Chairman of PDP, who declined comment on advice he offered to Mr Sheriff, said it was a meeting between father and sons.
“I have spoken to my son. He will speak with others,” Mr Anenih said.
Also speaking with newsmen, the Vice Chairman of PDP, Cairo Ojougboh, said the visit was part of efforts by Sheriff-led leadership to re-unite members of the party.
He said that the consultation with party leaders across the country would continue.
“We are doing this in order to come up with a formidable party,” he said.
Asked if the Sheriff group actually broke into the party secretariat as insinuated by the party caretaker committee members, Mr Ojougboh said it was not true.
He said that after the Court of Appeal judgment, the court served the police, and the State Security Service, SSS, the judgment.
“Mr chairman did not break in, it was police who locked the secretariat that re-opened it,” he said.
Mr Sheriff had on Thursday evening re-opened the secretariat which had been under lock since May 2016.
NAN
