Sheriff says he is ready to return to negotiating table with Makarfi

The factional Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. Ali Modu-Sheriff said he was ready to return to negotiating table with Sen. Ahmed Makarfi-led faction.

He, however, stressed that the Makarfi-faction must be willing to make peace for that to happen.

Sheriff stated this when he received some members of the PDP Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who paid him solidarity visit on Wednesday in Abuja.

Sheriff said that he had on several occasions tried to resolve the party crisis with the Makarfi faction.

He said that this he did by suggesting that both the Caretaker Committee and his National Working Committee be dissolved, to give way for a new independent leadership.

“I have made several peace moves but the caretaker committee has refused to agree.

“We have therefore resigned our fate to the decision of their Lordships of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Courts.

“However, we are ready to return to the negotiation table today, if Sen. Makarfi sees reason to do so,’’ he said.

Sheriff said that he was committed to returning the party to the grassroots in spite several blackmail he had been receiving.

He said “Our task is to return the party to the grassroots.

“To this end, we shall continue to review all the states chapters that are affected before the Convention.

“We are discussing with key stakeholders willing to return to the party and we are making steady progress.”

Sheriff added that if the talks among the stakeholders would yield positive result, the party would hold its national convention in the first quarter of 2017 to elect new leaders.

He said “Hopefully, we shall conduct a free and fair convention in the first quarter of 2017.

“In the cause of the last six months, we have worked assiduously to reposition our great party, the PDP, through harnessing of the enormous potential of the party at the grassroots."

On Rivers re-run legislative elections, Sheriff said he was waiting for the report of the delegation he sent to the state before he could take any position on the election.

He said “I have set up an 11-Man Committee which I sponsored to Rivers to observe the election and report back to me.

“The committee is yet to give me its report.

“I will make public my position as soon as I receive the detailed report on the election, because it is better for me to speak based on fact.’’

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NAN reports that the Sheriff faction of used the occasion to observe a minute silence for the victims of the recent Adamawa bomb blast and the Akwa-Ibom church building collapse.

Sheriff also condoled with the families of the deceased.