The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, has said that he will not be forced to relinquish the task of rebuilding the party entrusted to him by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP.

Speaking at his first interactive session with journalists at the party’s national secretary in Abuja yesterday, Sheriff said since he was given the major task of rebuilding and repositioning the party, he believed that it was the responsibility of the leadership to decide on his tenure.
Responding to allegations of his links to Boko Haram, Sheriff said there was no one in authority or any court of competent jurisdiction that had ever indicted him for complicity in the criminal acts of the terrorists.

Reacting to calls by some leaders of the PDP to step down to avert a further crisis in the party, Sheriff said such a move was uncalled for, assuring the party’s stakeholders that he would reach out to all aggrieved party men for reconciliation and join forces to rebuild the party.
“I saw the person who was reading at the press conference, Ambassador Wilberforce Juta. He submitted himself to the National Working Committee (NWC) of this party, aspiring to be chairman.

“Also, (Mohammed) Wakil whom you saw on television submitted himself to the NWC to be appointed chairman and votes were cast. The man that was speaking at the press conference (on Sunday) got one vote and he is asking me to resign. Therefore, I will not resign,” he said.

The former Borno State governor insisted that his emergence took place through due process, adding that contrary to the views propagated by his critics in the party that he was imposed on the PDP, he was granted a waiver to contest the Senate seat after joining PDP and was endorsed by a duly constituted NEC.

“I was given an official waiver by the NWC immediately I joined the party when I sought to run for the Senate and my letter of waiver was signed by the National Secretary.

“The leadership of this party, in its wisdom, asked me to lead. If the NEC of this party collectively asked me to lead, I will lead; but not somebody who contested an election and got one vote.

“I think if there is a moral issue, because he should not even have gone on air. However, in this country, people are allowed to say what they like.

“I took over this party; I am here as a national chairman of this party by the grace of all the NEC members of the party. I am here to rebuild the party.

“What time we need to do this job will be determined by the leaders and owners of the party when they sit down collectively to discuss.

“For me, taking over office today, I cannot tell you when I will be leaving, I will only tell you when the party leaders sit down and see what is the immediate time to do this job, and if they decide, I am ready for it.

“The person we saw on the television asking me to resign submitted himself to the NWC for the position and got just one vote, but I will not resign. I do not plan to resign as I was appointed to reposition this party. I will do my job and will not resign,” he said.

Elaborating on his tenure, Sheriff said he was appointed to rebuild the party but the time frame under which this would be done would be the job of the party leaders to decide.

Sheriff expressed regret that PDP was undeservedly pushed to the role of opposition after leading the country for over 16 years.

Credit: ThisDay