I am senior to Jonathan in PDP, Sheriff explains why he walked out on party leaders
- Sheriff says he walked out on party leaders because he was disrespected
- According to Sheriff, he was not given his due recognition as national chairman of the PDP
- Sheriff says he is senior to Jonathan in PDP's party arrangement
Sheriff (right) says ex-president Jonathan (left) disrespected him
Factional leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Ali Modu Sheriff has disclosed his reason for walking out on leaders of the party during a meeting organized by former President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday, April 6.
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Reports say that Jonathan had organised the meeting to solve the deepening leadership crisis in party but Sheriff was enraged and abandoned the event very into the programme held at the Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Centre in Abuja.
According to reports, Sheriff said he was not given due recognition as the national chairman as pronounced by an Appeal Court in Port Harcourt earlier this year.
He said: “I respect Dr. Jonathan. He is a former President but as of today, I'm the most senior member of this party. Therefore, if I respect him, the respect must be reciprocated.
"You can't call me for a meeting of PDP and say I cannot address the meeting as national chairman of the party. We are here for PDP stakeholders' meeting and the PDP has only one national chairman, which is Ali Modu Sheriff. There is no PDP meeting that will take place under whatever arrangement that I will not open the session as national chairman. Today, I'm the most senior member of this party.
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"I think Governor Seriake Dickson made a proposal for reconciliation. And we have accepted. Some people want to deviate from this programme, to bring agenda which was not part of it. And as national chairman of the party, what I have told you people in my office when Dickson brought the report is the only thing that we have agreed at this moment. And I will not be party for anybody using me for another programme. I'm not going to be part of it."
NAIJ.com recalls that the meeting between factional national chairmen of the PDP, summoned by Jonathan ended in a deadlock as Ali Modu Sheriff walked out.
Attempts to get Sheriff to return to the event after he walked out proved abortive.