Appeal Court verdict: Further litigation will ruin PDP in 2019

A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Victor Akande, on Saturday said that any further litigation would ruin the chances of the party in 2019 General Elections as many followers would have left.

Akande, representing Ojo Constituency I at the Lagos State House of Assembly made the plea in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, following an Appeal Court verdict in favour of  Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff.

He appealed to the Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi-led faction of the PDP to “sheath their swords’’ and rally round Ali Modu Sheriff.

The lawmaker, who was reacting to the Appeal Court’s ruling on Friday that declared Ali Modu Sheriff as the authentic National Chairman of the PDP, said enough of litigations.

“I think this judgement should put an end to all leadership crisis rocking our party.

“We used to be one family before. This latest judgement should bring all of us together to reposition the party.

“I wish all the aggrieved leaders would sheath their swords.

“Makarfi’s faction should not proceed on any legal tussle again. What is needed now it unity before it will be too late for PDP.

“The party has suffered so much through this division and infighting. The party is daily depleting as we have lost so many members to fracas in the party.

“Just on Thursday, six out of eight of us in the Lagos Assembly including the Minority leader defected to APC. This development made me wept for the party.

“Any further legal tussle will not help the party again. It will delay the chances of coming back to power in 2019,’’ Akande, Chairman, House Committee on Central Business District said.

He urged the Makarfi group to respect the agreement by both factions to accept the ruling of the Appeal Court wherever it turned.

“How I wish the Makarfi group would come and embrace peace and rally round Sheriff to move the party forward.

“It is high time we forge ahead and forget things that set us backward,’’ he said.

Akande, who urged the party stakeholders to shun selfish interest in the interest of the party, said he did not join his colleagues who defected to APC because of his faith in the party.

NAN reports that the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt on Friday upheld Ali Modu Sheriff, as the authentic National Chairman of the PDP.

The court in the ruling, nullified the PDP National Convention held in Port Harcourt in May, 2016.

It also nullified the National Caretaker Committee of the party constituted at the convention, and held that Ali Modu Sheriff remained the National Chairman of the party.

The court said that PDP did not follow the provisions of Article 47 (3) of its Constitution in the removal of Sheriff-led National Working Committee.