You taking sides with Sheriff shocking, embarrassing, Makarfi tells Dickson

The Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led national Caretaker Committee faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused Bayelsa State governor and the party’s Reconciliation Committee chairman, Seriake Dickson of taking side with the party national chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

The faction described the governor’s recent position on the crisis rocking PDP as not only shocking but embarrassing as well.

It therefore called on Dickson to be an impartial honest peace broker if he must successfully accomplish the task of reconciliation in the party.

The Makarfi committee stated this in a release by its publicity secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye issued on Monday in Abuja.

He said the statement credited to Dickson where he called for the resignation of the Caretaker Committee members as a way to settle the troubled situation in the party was unfortunate.

He said, “It is shocking and embarrassing that the statement is coming from one of the party’s most respected governors.

“To successfully accomplish the task of reconciliation, it is important to be seen by all sides as an impartial honest peace broker. We are worried that Gov. Dickson has seriously undermined the work of his committee by taking sides with Sheriff.

“We are even more concerned about his open declaration of war on the national caretaker committee. Rather than reconciling, the party is being further pulled apart.’’

Reminding Dickson that Makarfi-led national Caretaker Committee did not appoint itself but a product of May 2016 National Convention of the party, which Dickson was part of, Adeyeye said:

“As the governor admitted in his statement, the national Caretaker Committee was put in place and enjoys the support of over 80 per cent of members of the party. That being the case, the proper thing to do if Dickson wants the national Caretaker Committee to be disbanded is to persuade and convince the 80 per cent of the members on the merits of his point of view.

“The national Caretaker Committee is merely the agent of the party. The principals are the organs of the party and the 80 per cent of members that he alluded to. The national Caretaker Committee has no choice than to obey the command of its principals.

“He should convince our principals who are the organs of the party on the need for the NCC to resign. We cannot and will not do his job for him.’’

The party national chairman, Sheriff, has warned Adeyeye to stop speaking for the party since the group he represents has been outlawed by Port Harcourt Appeal Court ruling.