PDP crisis: Youth group threatens to take over party in 7-days

A youth group in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to all organs of the party to resolve the leadership crisis rocking the party, failure of which, the group warns, will lead to it taking over the affairs of the party.

The group under the aegis of PDP Concerned Rescue Group expressed deep concern over what it called ‘unabated internal wrangling besetting’ the main opposition party.

The party has been enmeshed in crisis since the May 21 Port Harcourt convention which produced the Ahmed Makarfi-led national caretaker committee, even as the former chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff insisted that his position was not vacant.

While the Makarfi-led committee formally assumed leadership of the party on Tuesday last week, Sheriff stormed the secretariat on Monday and took over power.

In a press conference Tuesday, spokesperson of the group, Aderemi Olusegun also demanded the immediate withdrawal of all pending litigations in courts.

Party members, he said, are ‘seriously disillusioned and unhappy’ over the leadership crisis rocking the party, adding that if not resolved, this would negatively affect the party’s fortunes in forthcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States respectively.

Olusegun therefore called on party gladiators to put national interest above personal interest.

“We are giving the leadership of the party, which includes the Board of Trustees, Governors’ Forum, warring groups and other stakeholders, a seven-day ultimatum to resolve this intractable but avoidable rancour.

“However, if this is not resolved, we shall be compelled to mobilize all concerned youths nationwide to take over the affairs of the party, as we have started putting in place an effective structure to take over the party secretariat.

“We have therefore constituted an 11-man committee to liaise with all the parties concerned and stakeholders so as a matter of urgency resolve all disagreements in our party,” he stated.