Stop Rushing to Courts, Makarfi Tells Anambra Stakeholders

• Umahi: It smacks of ignorance
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has admonished stakeholders of the party in Anambra State to refrain from the practice of always taking disputes to court rather than resolving them through internal party mechanism.

Makarfi gave the advice yesterday while receiving the report of the gubernatorial primary election conducted in Anambraon Monday at his residence in Abuja.

He said it does augur well for the stability and progress of the party for members to rush to the court at every slightest disagreement or dispute.
Makarfi said primary election committee was properly constituted and that  the process was conducted very well.

While congratulating the winners, Makarfi asked the aspirants that either withdrew or lost to cool down and come together for the sake of the party.
“There must be a winner and a loser in any electoral conduct. But a political party is a family. When a winner emerges, everybody goes with the larger family and you move forward.

“If it is not your luck today, tomorrow, it can be yours. There is no need making a mountain out of a mole hill. Anambra State should turn a new leaf and stop this problem of running to court to address every politiical challenge.
“We call on all Anambrarians to come together as a family to face the election. I and the other members of the caretaker committee are going to convene a peace-mending parley to reconcile members of the party in the state,” he said.

The chairman of Anambra governorship primary committee and , Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, revealed that they were threatened during the conduct of the exercise.
Umahi, who stated this while presenting the report of his committee to the Makarfi-led leadership of the party, however did not reveal who threatened them.
He stated that his committee did everything possible to maintain high integrity, adding: “We were threatened even as a governor.”

He, however, urged party members to desist from heading to court over decisions reached by the leadership of the party, noting that the import of the Supreme Court judgment means that decision of the party is supreme.
“Any member going to court over dissolution of party executive is ignorant.

“We must do away with the mindset of people going to assignments like this to seek money. We had no interaction with anybody. We did everything possible to maintain high integrity. There is not threat we didn’t get even as governors. But after we said our prayers we said whatever will happen should happen.”
He added: “We must not send persons that we can’t vouch for their character to conduct party primaries.”