The Acting Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ali Modu Sheriff, on Sunday, apologised to aggrieved leaders of the party over statements credited to him by his aides.
Speaking at a media briefing in Jalingo, he said:
“As a well cultured and astute politician, I would never make any comment that would ridicule the party,” he said.
Recall that former Minister of Information and a founding member of the PDP, Jerry Gana, led a group of other members to announce the takeover of the party from Sheriff, last week.
Mr. Gana, who appeared to lead a group within the PDP called “Concerned Stakeholders,” met on Thursday at the Nicon Luxury Hotel in Abuja.
In a swift reaction, Mr. Sheriff’s aide, Inuwa Bwala, told journalists at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja that the Jerry Gana group was out “to cause mischief”.
He also accused the group of coming up with gimmicks to divert attention from the effects of what they did in the past leading to the squandering of the fortunes of the party.
However, while addressing journalists in Jalingo, Mr. Sheriff said it was not in his character to join issues with highly respected elders of the party.
He denied ever authorising his aides or political associates to react to issues raised by aggrieved elders of the party.
Mr. Sheriff said that the aggrieved members of the party reserved the right to complain about issues affecting the party which they considered inimical to the progress of the PDP.
He, therefore, urged any aggrieved members to bury the hatchet and join hands with the present leadership to rebuild the party and restore the confidence of Nigerians in it.
He also noted that the PDP as the main opposition party in the country could not afford to have a divided house and appealed to members to work for the unity of the party at all times.
He explained that the present leadership of the party was poised to lend a listening ear to all shades of opinions with a view to strengthening it to face the challenges ahead.
He maintained that the battle for 2019 general elections had started in earnest, adding that the party could not afford to remain divided if the desired goal was to be achieved.
“Under our leadership and the support and encouragement of stakeholders and supporters, PDP will definitely bounce back in 2019,” Mr. Sheriff said.
