No Truth in Alleged Jonathan, Dickson Rift, Says Makarfi

• Says PDP yet to fix date for convention

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee (NCC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi, Tuesday dismissed reports of a brewing political crisis in its Bayelsa State chapter.

Makarfi, who made the clarification when he received a delegation of Bayelsa State executives at the national secretariat in Abuja, said contrary to the insinuation that there is a dispute between former President Goodluck Jonathan and the state Governor, Seriake Dickson, both men have been working together to strengthen the party.

The PDP leader said he has been in communication with both Jonathan and Dickson, and that there was no dispute between them.

He said he has found out that some mischievous people were out to create crisis for the state PDP, adding that the petition that generated concerns was baseless.
Makarfi however warned the leadership of the party in the state against dancing to the
tune of mischief makers to avoid generating problems in the party.
He dismissed the erroneous impression being created that Jonathan was trying to hijack the party structures in the state, describing such insinuation as false.

Makarfi said he has been in touch with ex-President Jonathan who has always emphasised the need to ensure that there is unity in the party.

He described the rumour as the handiwork of detractors who are seeking ways to destabilise the state chapter.
According To him, “Don’t allow yourself to be fragmented by rumour. Your executive has been ratified by the convention and that is final. There is no need to pander to rumour of an impending sack of the exco. Immediately the rumour broke out, the former president called me to dismiss that rumour, and he said there is no iota of truth in the said petition against the state executive.”

In his remark, the Chairman of the state chapter of the PDP, Moses Cleopas, said: “The former President is no doubt a respected national leader, and we hold him in high esteem in the state as our father.

While pledging their allegiance of the state chapter to Makarfi-led leadership, he said that it is only the state chapter of the PDP that has ever won a major election in the country under a platform that is not controlling the power at the centre.

The PDP has said no date has been fixed for its elective national convention, which is expected to hold before the end of this year.

The Chairman of the PDP National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, who spoke yesterday when he received members of the PDP Integrity Group yesterday evening, said there is a processes to be followed before arriving at the national convention date, adding that the party was yet to meet over the issue.
“We have not fixed date for the elective convention; it is only NEC (National Executive Committee) that can fix the date.

“Our priority is to see that we have a successful elective convention so that whoever takes over from us will continue from where we stopped,” Makarfi stated.