SAN FRANCISCO, April 12, (THEWILL) – A group of youth leaders in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has handed a seven-day ultimatum to the party’s National Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff to apologise to former president Goodluck Jonathan for walking out on him and other PDP leaders at a reconciliation meeting in Abuja last Thursday.
This was as PDP leaders in the South-west led by the Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, National Vice Chairman, South West, Eddy Olafeso, commended Jonathan’s courage for his reconciliation efforts, particularly the one that saw Sheriff storm out of the meeting called to reconcile his faction with the Ahmed Makarfi group.
Speaking at the end of their meeting in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, they however declared that the zone has foreclosed possibility of any reconciliation with Sheriff, even if summoned by the immediate past president, who is the party’s leader.
Fayose, who addressed newsmen after the meeting, said: “We laud former President Jonathan for the initiative, he has proven to be a good leader. He meant well and we stand by him . But let it be expressly stated that we won’t reconcile with Sheriff. The door of reconciliation with Sheriff is shut.
“We believe in dialogue but not with impossible people. We knew that the PDP has a problem and when the Supreme Court adjudicates on the contentious matter before it, we will know whether we will stay together or go our different ways.”
Meanwhile, the youths, under the aegis of the Almagamated PDP Youth Leaders Nationwide, maintained that it was an embarrassment for Sheriff to have walked out on the former President who they described as leader of the party.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, the Chairman of the group, Segun Aderemi said that Sheriff disrespected the party by walking out on Jonathan and other party leaders during the stakeholders meeting.
He added that while the youths would not want anyone to disrespect Sheriff, as a leader in the party he would not be allowed to disrespect other PDP leaders.
The group gave the party chairman seven days within which to tender apology to Jonathan and other party leaders, for embarrassing them through his conduct last Thursday.
“We witnessed what happened that day, when he walked out on the former President. Would Sheriff be happy if any member of the party embarrassed him the way he embarrassed Jonathan that day?
“He has to tender an unreserved apology to the former President, the Board of Trustees (BoT) and other leaders of the party.
“We insist he should tender unreserved apology. We strongly believe that he is going to do the needful,” Aderemi stated.
He said the youths do not have any issues with Sheriff or the chairman of the Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, stressing that their goal was to ensure timely resolution of the leadership crisis in the party.
Adeyemi pointed out that the Almagamated PDP Youth Leaders are made up of youths from both the Sheriff and Makarfi camps.
About the Author
