The Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has denied sacking the Ahmed Makarfi-led caretaker committee of the party.
The Board was reacting to reports in a section of the media that it has taken over the roles and job functions of the caretaker committee.
Recall that the BoT on Wednesday announced that it was taking over the recently re-opened national secretariat of the PDP in Abuja pending when the leadership crises in the party is resolved.
The sacked National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, is currently in court challenging the dissolution of his National Working Committee during the May 21 National Convention of the party in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The litigation and counter-litigation resulted in a vacuum being created at the national secretariat of the main opposition party as neither Sheriff nor Makarfi can occupy the office of the national chairman until the court cases are either withdrawn or the legal channels fully explored.
Clarifying its decision to take over the national secretariat, the BoT in a statement from the PDP publicity department, said it lacked the powers to take over the day-to-day running of party, adding that it only stepped in to provide leadership to the party following the contradictory legal action on the Makarfi-led caretaker committee.
The statement reads in Part: “The attention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to reports in the media insinuating that the Board of Trustees (BoT) has sacked the National Caretaker Committee led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi and has taken over executive role in the Party.
“The Party wishes to state without any ambiguity that the report is false, null and void as there is no section of the PDP Constitution that bequeath executive powers or authority to the Board of Trustees.
“The Board of Trustees is responding to the contradictory Court Orders against the National Caretaker Committee and the dissolved National Working Committee (NWC) in order not to leave vacuum occasioned by the said Court Orders. This action of taken over the National Secretariat by the BoT began on Tuesday May 31, 2016 pursuant to Part ix, Section (5)(e) of the Party Constitution (As Amended in 2012) which empowers the BoT as the only Organ of the Party vested with the assets and custodians of such assets.
“For emphasis, the PDP is one and united and the Board of Trustees as the Conscience of the Party is performing one of its constitutional powers by mediating in the leadership crisis that has befallen the Party following the outcome of the just concluded National Convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
“The BoT therefore did not and has not sacked the National Caretaker Committee as alleged by some sections of the media”.
