Sheriff to tackle INEC, Makarfi in court over ‘Advanced PDP’

The Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP says it will go to court to challenge the planned registration of ‘Advanced PDP’ by the Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee.

The National Legal Adviser of Sheriff’s faction, Barr. Bashir Maidugu, who spoke with our correspondent, yesterday, said they would drag Makarfi’s committee and INEC to the court to stop the registration of the new party.

It was reported yesterday that Makarfi and his group had approached INEC seeking to register a new party to be called ‘Advanced PDP,’ a move that observers suggested may likely open a new acrimonious frontier in the party.

Barr. Maidugu said any move by any person or group to use the name ‘PDP’ either at INEC or at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) would be resisted.

He explained that the PDP was a legally registered and recognised political party which administered the affairs of the nation for 16 consecutive years, insisting that duplicating its name in whatever guise will not stand.

The legal adviser said the best option for Makarfi and his group was to “return to the mainstream PDP” and support the Sheriff-led leadership in line with the Appeal Court judgement, so that a national convention could be held for new leaders to emerge.

Barr. Maidugu added that INEC should avoid complicating the issues by not registering any political group with the name ‘PDP’ in order to deepen democracy in the country.

”We are recognised legally by the Court of Appeal and all law abiding citizens should abide by the decision of the court. Anything contrary to this is contemptuous,” he said.