National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Ali Modu Sheriff , yesterday met with former President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja.
Jonathan, after the meeting with Sheriff, said there was no faction in the PDP, maintaining that the party was united.
The former president acknowledged that there were bound to be differences in human affairs, while laying emphasis on the case of politicians.
He said, “We are not factionalised. We are one. There are bound to be differences in politics. We cannot run away from that,” Jonathan said.
“It is the way we resolve these differences that makes us human beings and that is what makes us leaders. I have met with Sheriff. And I have met with others.
“I will still meet with others, so that we will be able to do what is expected of us as a political party.”
Meanwhile, the Makarfi led-PDP has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court to challenge the decision of a lower court reinstating Sherif as the party’s chairman.
This was made known at the end of its stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Monday.
The police had earlier prevented the Makarfi-led faction from converging on the International Conference Center (ICC) for a meeting.
PDP Stakeholders’ meeting, however, the Makarfi group passed a vote of confidence in the caretaker committee, insisting that the committee would remain in place until the determination of its appeal at the Supreme Court.
A former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, read the communique of the meeting, which was attended by the governors of Akwa Ibom State (Udom Emmanuel); Delta State (Ifeanyi Okowa); Rivers State (Nyesom Wike); and the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.
Members of the National Assembly, former ministers, former governors and members of the Board of Trustees of the party were also in attendance.
Reading the communique, Gana said, “That we fully endorse the prompt and proactive decision of the National Caretaker Committee to lodge an appeal at the Supreme Court of Nigeria against the decision of the Court of Appeal as well as filing an application for injunction pending an appeal, all of which were done in the morning of Monday, February 20, 2017.
“Having duly filed both an appeal at the Supreme Court and an application for injunction pending appeal in the morning of Monday, February 20, 2017, we pass a resounding and unqualified vote of confidence in the leadership of the Senator Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee of the PDP and pledge our unalloyed support to it as it pilots the affairs of the party in this critical transitional period of the party’s life.
“To this end, we are not at all deceived by the supposed olive branch being offered by Senator Ali Modu Sherrif, knowing that the only thing that can come from traitors of his ilk is nothing but a poisoned chalice and a Greek gift.”