Former Peoples Democratic Party governors and
ex-ministers on Friday rejected an aircraft sent to
them by the embattled National Chairman of the
party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, to convey them
from Abuja to Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
One of our correspondents gathered that the
plane was sent to the former governors and other
anti-Sheriff with the aim of truncating the parallel
national convention they planned for Abuja today.
The aggrieved members, under the name of
Concerned PDP Stakeholders, are holding their
convention today at Area 11, Abuja, the same day
that the Sheriff group is holding its own.
It was learnt that members of the Sheriff group,
who had waved aside the former governors as
inconsequential, became worried when they got
to know the amount of energy and work being
put in place to conduct the Abuja convention.
A serving governor, who was in Port Harcourt
for the convention, told one of our correspondent
on condition of anonymity, that an aircraft was
sent to Abuja on Friday evening to convey the
former governors and ministers to Rivers State.
He said that the aircraft was delayed for more
than three hours with none of the former
governors and ministers turning up at the airport.
He said, “We have been talking, in fact we told
them that we were ready to abandon Sheriff and
that they should come to Port Harcourt for final
discussion.
“We sent an aircraft to them, hoping that they
would board and come here for final discussion.
We were ready to share offices with them. But
they refused to turn up.”
But a former minister in the Prof. Jerry Gana led
group, which is holding its national convention in
Abuja, said that the group did not trust the
governors.
“We didn’t board their aircraft because we didn’t
trust them. They ignored us, they said we didn’t
have money to run the party and now they were
sending aircraft to us at the last minute. We
don’t need it,” he added.
Our correspondent gathered that the governors of
the party were troubled and were almost dropping
Sheriff, but for the intervention of Governors
Nyesom Wike and Ayo Fayose of Rivers and Ekiti
states respectfully, who advised their colleagues
against taking such decision.
It was gathered that the tenure of Sheriff may be
extended at the Port Harcourt convention.
This is as a result of the ruling of a Lagos court,
stopping the party from conducting election into
the offices of the party’s national chairman,
national auditor and national secretary.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Governor, Chief
Nyesom Wike, on Friday insisted that the Port
Harcourt convention would hold regardless of any
court injunction stopping the exercise.
Wike, who spoke with journalists at the
Government House in Port Harcourt, stated that
the PDP had filed a motion for a stay of
execution of a court order the stopping the
convention.
Wike, who is Chairman of the Port Harcourt PDP
Convention Planning Committee, addressed
journalists in company with Governor Emmanuel
Udom of Akwa Ibom State, his counterpart from
Abia State, Chief Okezie Ikpeazu, Dave Umahi of
Ebonyi State and the Senate Minority Leader,
Chief Godswill Akpabio.
He said the PDP’s decision to go ahead with the
convention would not amount to disobedience of
any court order.
Wike said, “Just to let you know that the PDP
convention, as scheduled by National Executive
Council, which is the highest decision-making
organ of PDP, will be taking place in Port
Harcourt tomorrow (Saturday), May 21, 2016.

www.punchng.com/convention-ex-pdp-govs-ministers-reject-sheriffs-aircraft/

this is not the type of opposition we want we want a United party that will always check mate the activities of the party in power, criticize positively and suggests solutions not a divided party

PDP might not be the opposition come 2019. The party is done and dusted. This clearly shows all other parties in Nigeria are non-existent. Where are the NCP KOWA ACCORD APGA LP.

The party must fall.

I don't blame them..the way sheriff eye dey red him fit crash the aircraft

Sacrificial aircraft for cleansing and way creation. Who wan enter? Na only Sheriff get sense ni.