PDP crisis: Makarfi denies interfering with judicial process

The Chairman of the PDP National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has described as false, an online report that the Supreme Court delays judgement in his case with Senator Ali Modu Sheriff’s faction of the party because of political interference.

An online medium had quoted anonymous sources at the apex court saying an attempt to deliver judgement on the crisis was stalled last week because of political interference.

The report also claimed that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, had told other justices not to deliver a judgement that would lead to the death of PDP or weaken it, so as not to push Nigeria into a one party state.

In a text message to our correspondent in reaction to the report earlier, Makarfi said, “I have no comment.”

But in a statement later, he said whoever was spreading such “falsehood” did not mean well for Nigeria and the judiciary.

“On the one hand, we are accused of floating another party because we are losing our appeal and now this wicked insinuation,” he said.

Similarly, the Concerned Members of the PDP had alleged that the report was the handiwork of Sheriff as part of his attempt to destroy the judiciary.

Comrade Edwin Ateke, in a statement sent from the party’s publicity unit, called on Nigerians to disregard the content of the report.

The Deputy National chairman of the Sheriff-led National Working Committee (NWC), Dr Cairo Ojougboh, told Daily Trust in a telephone interview that, “The antics of the rebels will not alter the position of the judiciary. We believe that the judiciary will do the right thing.”