Sheriff Not An Asset To PDP, He’s Obviously Working For APC – Wike

He said this on Wednesday during an interview with an official of AIT at the Rivers State Government House shortly after the PDP National Convention that held in Port Harcourt.

Governor Wike said the convention was organised, in wisdom of leadership of the PDP, to sack all the national officers, elect new ones and appoint a caretaker group that will oversee affairs of the party within 90 days before another convention is conducted.

Speaking on the conflicting court judgments as to whether it was legal for the PDP to hold the convention, Wike said: “we do know that he (Justice Okon Abang) does not have the power to sit on appeal over the judgment of his older Judge.”

When asked if he regards what took place at the PDP secretariat in Port Harcourt as the party’s convention after the planned venue was sealed up by the men of the Nigerian Police Force, the governor said: “of course. First of all, it is unfortunate that the police and other security agencies have exposed all their hidden agenda claiming that they had no hands in what Ali Modu Sheriff is doing, but what has happened today showed that all along they have been behind him.”

“The court, the police and party to a suit of the judgment of 4th of July, the Inspector General of Police, DG and state director of the SSS as well as the Rivers state commissioner of police are all parties to the suit.”

Meanwhile, “the court gave judgment saying that the IGP and the director of SSS should make sure that Makarfi and his team have access to the secretariat of the party. But they pretended that nothing of such had happened.

“We also instituted another suit that directed INEC to monitor the election and asked the DG SSS and Inspector General of Police to provide security for the convention.

“The court directed you to make sure you provide security for this convention to take place and you are telling us that there was another judgment that directed you not to provide security. How can they direct you when you are not a party to a suit?” Wike asked.

“These are just arrangements that were made. Nigerians are now seeing really what kind of democracy that is being played in this country.”

“All PDP matters and cases are taken before a particular judge. When you look at the pattern you will know it is a problem even if you want to apply to a judge. Something is definitely wrong somewhere,” the governor said.

“Sheriff goes to court and sues the PDP. He is the plaintiff and is also the one who brings the lawyer to defend the party. Then What Happens? The lawyer then surrenders that he does not oppose whatever Sheriff has said. The Judge will then be comfortable with that.”

“Sheriff is always the plaintiff who sues PDP and brings a lawyer that will defend the party. When we apply to bring our own lawyer, Justice Abang will oppose us and say it is only him (Sheriff) that will bring a lawyer to defend the PDP. In essence, Sheriff brings his own lawyers, brings lawyer that will defend the party and then the said PDP lawyer says no! I have no objection to what he (Sheriff) is saying and then the Judge rules his Judgment.”

When asked if he regrets his involvement in inviting Ali Modu Sheriff to chair the PDP, Wike said: “When you are party to a decision and you realise that the decision you made was wrong, of course you apologise. And with all due respect, I am going to apologise that the decision of allowing Sheriff to even be a party member, not to talk about giving him the opportunity to chair the largest political party in in Africa, was a fundamental error.”

“When we saw the opposition against Sheriff being chairman, we said to ourselves as real party members that there is nothing too much for you (Sheriff) to sacrifice for the party. If Sheriff loves this party, what is personal? Or what is that sacrifice he cannot make assuming he loves the party.”

“When he was appointed, the Governor of Kano state, Ganduje, said he (Sheriff) will work for us (APC). Governor of Borno, Shetima, also said he will destroy the party.”

“Seeing this, we asked him to prove this people wrong that he won’t work for them.”

Asked if the party was not making a huge error trying to discard Ali Modu Sherif, the governor said “Sheriff is not important. He is only playing a role he usually plays. He is distracting us and it must come to an end.”

“He is slowing us down when we look the pace the party is trying to move. But at the end of the day we believe we will triumph.”

“Sheriff has no capacity. Is he an asset to PDP? No. we only brought him in because we believed everybody should be embraced and brought onboard,” wike added.