Sheriff, Makarfi Seek Support for New PDP Peace Initiatives

The national chairman of a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff has expressed his support for a new peace effort aimed at resolving the lingering crisis in the party.

A sign that all is not yet entirely well for the PDP came when Sheriff insisted that his faction's governorship candidate in Ondo State, Jimoh Ibrahim remained the candidate of the party.

Speaking to journalists at his temporary office in Abuja, Sheriff said that the ongoing peace plan had his backing and that both him and Senator Ahmed Makarfi had discussed and agreed to form a 28-man reconciliation committee to fasttrack efforts at final resolution of the crisis.

"Myself and Makarfi met some time ago to discuss the ways forward after founders and leaders of the party have spoken to us asking us to find lasting solution to the crisis in the party. That is why when we issued the statement stating that without prejudices to the ongoing court cases.

Sheriff who said that he had been away for more than two weeks told journalists on Friday in Abuja, that the peace plan is on course and that both he and Senator Makarfi would be inaugurating a 24-member peace and reconciliation committee on Tuesday.

He also said that none of the contending parties in the dispute was making any special demands, but that the national secretary of his faction, Prof. Wale Oladipo will be interfacing with the Secretary of the Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ben Obi to draw-up the framework for engagement before the Tuesday's inauguration.

While giving an assurance that the peace initiatives would pull through this time around, Sheriff said that almost every stakeholder of the party was interested to see an end to the crisis.