PDP: Sheriff’s loyalists mull defection in Edo

Loyalists of a former national chairman of the PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, in Edo State, have said they would have no option but to dump the party if Senator Ahmed Makarfi went ahead with his proposed “amnesty for erring members.”

A staunch supporter of Sheriff and member of the House of Representatives, Ehiozuwa Johnson Agbonnayinma, said it would be wrong to mull amnesty for supporters of the former Borno governor as if they were criminals.

Speaking at the weekend, Agbonnayinma said what Sheriff and his supporters did was a sacrifice for the PDP and should not be misconstrued as a crime.

“You went and begged someone (Sheriff) to help rescue the PDP when it was down and he came and did all that he could to save the party; and you are now telling him that you want to give him amnesty? Sheriff is not on trial and we do not need amnesty,” he said.

Agbonnayinma said when Sheriff won at the Federal High Court and the Appeal Court, he declared a policy of no victor no vanquished but with the reversal of the lower court’s judgement by the Supreme Court, the Makarfi team was proposing amnesty, setting up disciplinary committee and dissolving state excos instead of unifying the party.

The lawmaker frowned at the alleged ill-treatment of Sheriff’s gubernatorial candidate in Edo State, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, a development that forced him to dump the PDP.

“I do not know what tomorrow holds for me and my supporters in the party. This impunity must stop now or many party faithful will go the same way of our leader, Iduoriyekemwen,” he said.