•Says Adeyeye deserves arrest
From Taiwo Amodu, Abuja
Former national vice-chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) South-South, Dr Cairo Ojougboh disclosed yesterday that chairman of the dissolved National Working Committee, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff will rescue the party from the clutches of its governors.
Ojougboh also called for the arrest of Prince Dayo Adeyeye, a member of the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee.
He was reacting to a call for the arrest of the former Borno State governor for conducting a parallel primary in Edo state ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
“Sheriff wants to return the party to the people.
“He doesn’t want only the governors to sit down in their rooms and write the names of candidates and submit… that is the root of the crisis we are having today in the PDP, and Sheriff is ready to address it.
“This is the only time the chairman of the PDP is saying no to the governors.
“Impunity must be addressed. Anybody who went shopping for judgment, or use state money to go and buy judgement, the person is on his own.
“Sheriff will not be involved in such cases and if you win such cases, we wait for you at the Appeal Court.”
In apparent reference to the judgment of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, which axed Sheriff as chairman, Ojougboh accused a serving governor as the mastermind of the litigation.
“I want to make it categorically clear that we have a judgment that is point-blank judgment which says that it is only Sheriff that will submit the names of candidates of Edo and Ondo states.
“It further says that Sheriff is the recognised chairman of PDP. We have appealed it, and we have, also, called for stay of execution.
“So, it is neither here nor there.
“The chairman of PDP, Sheriff, has some other subsisting judgments in his favour, and, if anybody is to be arrested, it is Adeyeye who is making allusions that people should be arrested.
“I want to make this point clear, the caretaker committee, led by Makarfi and Sheriff-led PDP have been discussing.
“I know that Makarfi will not make such statement, calling for Sheriff’s arrest. Makarfi is a gentleman and not somebody given to such utterances, so, I want to excuse him.
“If such statement came from Makarfi, Sheriff would have known what to do, to address it properly, because we know he could not make such statement.
“It was Adeyeye that was quoted.”
Sheriff named Ojougboh as his deputy two weeks ago.
Last week, Sheriff declared that Mathew Iduoriyekemwen, the candidate that emerged at the parallel primary conducted by his faction remained PDP’s authentic standard bearer for the Edo governorship election.
Ojougboh, who gave indication that the leadership tussle rocking the main opposition party would soon be resolved, declared that the former Borno state governor should be encouraged in his struggle to rescue the party from the stranglehold of the governors.