The controversy in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is anything but abating, as Jimoh Ibrahim, who is gearing to contest the Ondo State governorship position under the umbrella party, on Thursday obtained his nomination form from the Ali Modu-Sheriff-led faction of the party.
Ibrahim, while collecting the form, stated that the Chairman of the party’s National Caretaker Committee, Ahmed Makarfi has no right in law to lay claim to the chairmanship of the party.
He said that Sheriff is the person known to the law having taken over from Adamu Muazu who resigned as national chairman before the expiration of his tenure.
The controversial businessman said that he would better the lots of the citizens of the state by ensuring prompt payment of their salaries, promising to clear the salary arrears of workers in the state within his first 100 days in office.
Modu-Sheriff commended the aspirant, describing him as a capable hand that could turn the state around if giving the opportunity and promised to support him.
Meanwhile, the Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has disowned Jimoh Ibrahim, saying he was not a member of the party.
Ayo Fadaka, PDP Director of Media and Publicity in the state, insisted that Ibrahim was a member of the Accord Party not the PDP as he claimed.
Fadaka said, “I can confirm to you that Jimoh Ibrahim is not a member of our party, the PDP, he has since been rid of his membership and we all know that he is a bonafide member of the Accord Party. So, for him now to be making a somersault to pick a form of PDP is a shameless thing anybody can do in this situation.
“Also I want to confirm to you again that Jimoh Ibrahim, apart from the fact that he is not a member of our party, he does not have any relationship with the PDP in any case and if he is taking a form from Sheriff, he confirms to the entire world where Sheriff is coming from “
Also, the Ondo State Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade said the PDP and the present administration of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko were not bothered by the action of Ibrahim as he had never been a loyal member of the PDP.
Akinmade said, “He is not our member, during the last general election, he didn’t work for the PDP, we know who he worked for. As far as we are concerned there is no cause for alarm, Ondo State PDP is not shaken we are intact.”
Both Modu-Sheriff and Makarfi are laying claim to the leadership of the PDP in a crisis that is threatening to tear the opposition party into pieces.
Series of court cases have been initiated and different judgments given in the course of the leadership controversy, the latest being the order by Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court Abuja, barring the Makarfi-led faction of the PDP from going ahead with its planned Party Convention that was scheduled to hold in Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital onAugust 17.
The faction, however, insisted that it was going ahead with the planned convention and on Tuesday, released the names of the convention organizing committee.