Jonathan’s Peace Moves in Jeopardy as Makarfi, Sheriff Head to Supreme Court

Former President Goodluck Jonathan’s intervention for a peaceful resolution of the lingering crisis in the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) may have
suffered a major setback as the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee is already at the Supreme Court to challenge the recent Court of
Appeal judgment in favour of the
Senator Alli Modu Sheriff leadership.

Jonathan had accepted to assist in
resolving the crisis in the party, a
decision believed to have brought some relief and renewed confidence to stakeholders, who believed that a political solution to the crisis was possible after all.
But the excitement arising from this was cut short the moment the Makarfi group headed for the Supreme Court to appeal the judgment that conceded the PDP
leadership to the Sheriff group.

THISDAY gathered at the weekend that Sheriff has been served with the notice of appeal at the Supreme Court. A top member of the Sheriff-led leadership and spokesman, Mr. Daniel Mikko, told THISDAY last night that the notice of appeal signified the resumption of legal fireworks by both parties.
By implication, Mikko added that the latest move might have put the reconciliatory talks in jeopardy. He said this was so because nobody would be
going into such discussions with
confidence.

“Nobody will be comfortable continuing with the peace talks once there is a Sword of Damocles dangling over his head”, he said.
Although the Makarfi-led caretaker committee has vowed to proceed with the appeal to the Supreme Court, spokesman of the group, Chief Dayo Adeyeye, said his group had nothing against the move by Jonathan to broker
peace in the party.

“The former president has made good effort; let him continue. We have nothing against it but the understanding we had with the former president is that we shall continue with peace efforts without prejudice to the ongoing court process. So, the court process will go on and if there is any political solution, that
will be okay. We cannot wait for the political solution before going back to the court,” he said.

Adeyeye explained that there was every reason for them to insist on seeing the appeal through to the Supreme Court in order to put the party in a strong position for negotiation.

However, with regards to the Jonathan peace moves and the renewed effort by the PDP standing committee on reconciliation headed by the Bayelsa State Governor, Henry D!ckson, and Senator Ibrahim Mantu, the two sides said they would support the initiative.

Mikko told THISDAY that the D!ckson committee would complement efforts of the former president in settling most of
the animosities amongst members.

“Looking at the grievances that are being heard across board, I think this is the best time for him to look into the grievances held by party members with a view to resolving them. We feel the D!ckson committee will serve to
complement what former President Jonathan is dong. They are not working at cross-purposes but complementing each other,” he said.

On factors responsible for the failure of previous peace efforts, Mikko said before the latest Court of Appeal judgment, there was a proposal canvassed by Sheriff to the effect that both sides should select six persons each as acting members of the National
Working Committee pending a new national convention.

“Part of the proposal that we put out was that both parties should appoint six persons each to serve as acting members of the NWC, who would make presentations to the NEC meeting after which we will go for a national convention on September 25. But Makarfi did not get back to us on its position, instead they opted for the botched convention on August 17.

“After that they insisted that they were going to get favorable judgment from the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Now that the case has been
won and lost, what we are saying is that let everyone join hands to plan for a unity convention. We are not saying that we won but let everybody come together and let’s set an agenda for a national convention.”

But in spite of the appeal court
judgment, one issue that has not been resolved outside of the judicial pronouncement is who controls the apparatus of the party and leads the rest of party members to organise a convention.

While Sheriff believes that his victory at the appeal court automatically confers on him the powers to assume leadership and organise a national convention, the Makarfi group sees such
as a temporary advantage which is going to be upturned soon at the Supreme Court.

Makarfi and other leaders who have refused to recognise the Sheriff leadership feel they have the support of a majority of the mainstream members of the party.