• By Daniel Kanu (Assistant Politics Editor)
    Despite professed settlement of its leadership rift by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), there is strong signal that the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff camp will boycott the party’s Special Non-elective National Convention fixed for Saturday, August 12, at the Eagles Square in Abuja.
    TheNiche authoritatively gathered that Sheriff and his associates are aggrieved with the National Chairman of the party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, over their exclusion from the major committees ahead of the convention, particularly the standing, disciplinary and reconciliation committees.
    The impeccable source which pleaded anonymity told TheNiche “You can see that there is nobody from the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff camp in the list of committee members that was published in some national dailies recently.

    Sheriff

    “That for us is an insult that we cannot take kindly. We agreed that in moving forward, we must embrace true reconciliation, so as to be united as a formidable option to send the APC packing in 2019 but you can see the exclusion game they are playing. You can see if they are handling the victory well.
    “Aside the committees for the national convention and that of reconciliation which we were glaringly edged out, they have also constituted committees in Anambra State and none from our group is included.
    “For us that is the height of treachery and it goes to show that they are still harbouring grievances. It was only yesterday (Thursday, August 10) they called Senator Hope Uzodinma to tell him he has been included, and called one other member to say he has been included in the security sub-committee, a day to the convention. Does that suggest good fate?
    “When we are making every frantic effort to ensure we leave the ugly past behind us and forge ahead for 2019 which is there for us to grab with ease they are coming up with distrustful game plan. It is sad.”
    The source disclosed further that they would have gone to court but for the mood of the nation.
    It would be recalled that both factions have been in court since May 2016 and had prolonged litigation of the national leadership tussle that ended on July 12, when the Supreme Court gave judgement in favour of Makarfi and the National Caretaker Committee.

    Makarfi

    Sheriff within 24 hours after the Supreme Court judgment nullified his chairmanship, congratulated the lawfully recognised Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the party, Senator Makarfi, for his victory.
    Makarfi after his Supreme Court victory  said that the party would leave its doors open to all aggrieved members, including Sheriff and his group, for reconciliation but the unfolding scenario is a pointer that all is not yet over.
    Earlier, a chieftain of the PDP in Edo State confirmed to TheNiche that it is unlikely Sheriff and his men would attend the Abuja convention.
    The PDP chieftain who was speaking to our correspondent from Abuja maintained that the party could not afford to right all wrongs if it was prepared to wrest power from the ruling APC in 2019.