How I was betrayed at PDP convention – Embattled chairman narrates

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) convention in Port-Harcourt, Rivers state, which was held on Saturday, May 22, 2016, took a new twist as the party chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff and his executives were removed in coup style.

Reports say former Governor of Akwa-Ibom state and Senate Minority Leader, Godwill Akpabio moved motion for the removal of Sheriff, and the appointment of a caretaker committee.

Akpabio said “The committee shall be known as the National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party.”

However, Sheriff insists that the decision at the convention is not binding, because he suspended the convention due to numerous court actions against the event.

Inuwa Bwala, the spokesman to the embattled PDP chairman, who spoke to Premium Times, said “Immediately the chairman (Sheriff) received another court injunction, he called a meeting of the National Working Committee and told them that it wasn’t safe to continue with the convention of the party, especially since the court had forbidden elections virtually into all the offices.

“He announced the suspension of the convention at a press briefing, only for some people to go behind and claim that there was convention.

“There was no organ of the party that was represented at the convention.

“The convention was cancelled, and it remains cancelled until such a time the matters in court are resolved, for us to convene another national convention.”

Bwala  also said his boss felt betrayed, adding that “Naturally, you will feel betrayed if you are working with some people, only for them to go behind you to work against what you all agreed to do.”

A seven-man committee was elected at the Port-Harcourt convention, with former Governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi and Mr. Ben Obi emerging as the chairman and secretary respectively.

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