Sheriff Blast Jonathan’s Ex-ministers, Says Declare Sources Of Your Ill-gotten Wealth 

The National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff has taken a swipe on former ministers under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan administration saying that the ex-ministers should immediately declare their sources of wealth.

Sheriff, who was reacting to the media briefing by the former ministers under the auspices of Forum of PDP former Ministers, said that the party Constitution does not recognize the group as such declared the body as illegal.

The former ministers had on Monday, while addressing newsmen shortly after their closed door meeting, challenged President Muhammad Buhari to contest the 2019 election and also passed a vote of confidence on Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee.

Angered by the vote of confidence on Makarfi-led Committee, Sheriff who spoke through his Deputy, Cairo Ojougboh said, “we want to say first of all that the party Constitution is very clear and the organs of the party are specified, from the ward executive committee down to the National Convention of the party. On this list there is nothing like the forum of former ministers.

“We take exception to the comments of this group of persons who met yesterday and called themselves, forum of former ministers.

“We want to say that under normal circumstances, in some countries, these are people who will not normally show themselves in the public. We want to say also that it is very disheartening that persons of these calibre, some of them lawyers would take impunity to the highest level by declaring that they support Makarfi. Because they are expecting judgment from the Supreme Court, they want to sway the opinion of Supreme Court.

“These group of persons have alot of money, money from sources that cannot be explained and their opinion is that they can buy the party, but Sheriff has said no, that the party is not for sale and so,  they know who to support and they know the people they can buy, but if it is Sheriff they cannot.

“Our position is very clear, yes! They might not support Sheriff and the reason is simple, yes! They know they cannot buy Sheriff, Sheriff is not for sale, Sheriff and the PDP,  the party is for the masses and the governors have said that whatever comes out of the Supreme Court that is how the party would be.

“We want to thank specifically the governors who met and reaffirm that whatever happens at the Supreme Court that they will key into it and the party will be rebuilt from there.”

The Chairman further lambasted the former ministers, pointing out that ordinarily, not only can the ministers win their ward elections,  but they help to destroy the country and the party.

“We advise the press not to grant any ordience of such nature because you are given ordience to illegal body. The PDP Constitution is very clear, they are not an organ of the party, they don’t exist in the rules of the party. These are people who cannot win election in their wards. We don’t recognize them as organ of the party. In their own personal individual we recognize them.

“Ordinarily, these people will not walk the street, they were given opportunity to run this country, but they ran it aground. They were given the opportunity to implement the manifesto of the PDP, they finished the PDP, they finished the country and here they are regrouping, Nigerians are not fools, Nigerians will not listen to them, Nigerians are hoping and waiting for the new PDP that will emerge after the ruling of the Supreme Court, whichever way it goes, the Sheriff and the National Working Committee will obey and abide by orders of the Supreme Court,” he said.

Sheriff declared that PDP is a law abiding party, and had respected the outcome, the declaration and the ruling of the High Court in Lagos and Abuja that said that they should not hold convention.

He said that the PDP they are rebuilding is not a party where one man can boast that the party belong to him.

“The PDP that we are rebuilding is not a PDP where one man can say he owns the party. God, who brought Sheriff does not made mistake and Sheriff is the agent of change from anti party democracy in Nigeria. Without the presence of Sheriff, today, I am sure Oyegun would not have been the Chairman of APC, but the APC also has learnt that they have to respect the party, that the party is supreme.

“And those of us in the PDP that are the direct architect of what is happening in the PDP we have refused to obey the court of the land. For the avoidance of doubt, we want to restate that the entire grassroots of PDP in the whole country are solidly behind Sheriff.

“God’s willing, the outcome of the Supreme Court Sheriff will obey it and we do know that we will always obey the rule of law and we urge the Supreme Court not to be swayed by the posture of these persons who ordinarily cannot walk the street,” the Chairman said.