PDP chieftains urge ex-president to withdraw support for Ali Modu Sheriff

The PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) is determined not to support Sheriff and has urged Jonathan to reject the new Chairman or face a mass exodus from the party, The Nation reports.

“We have asked a team to meet Jonathan and draw his attention to the grave implications of having Sheriff as PDP national chairman. We believe the ex-President was ill-informed. We want Jonathan to withdraw his backing so that Sheriff can step aside in March,” a source in the party said.

“We have weighed all options and the only midstream approach now is to prevail on Sheriff to complete Muazu’s tenure and quit in March. So Jonathan has to choose between the larger interest of the party and Sheriff,” the source added.

The sentiments were also mirrored by an ex-minister who spoke to The Nation.

“Well, at our session, some of us made it known that we cannot even wait till the end of March to determine our stay in PDP. Once Sheriff is in charge, we will abandon PDP for another party," the former minister said.

“The truth is dawning even on some of the governors and NWC members that Sheriff’s selection was unpopular among Nigerians. We now have deficit in the opposition politics we are playing because we have to seek equity with clean hands. This is why he should step down in March,” he added.

Sheriff’s appointment has caused controversy in the PDP with many members condemning the choice due to his alleged sponsorship of the Boko Haram.