Modu Sheriff Accuses Makarfi Of Sponsoring Hooligans Against PDP
Embattled National Chairman of the Peoples democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff wish to condemn as shameful acts of hooliganism and brigandage being employed by the Illegal Caretaker Committee led by senator Ahmed Makarfi.
Modu Sheriff viewed the sack on the national secretariat of the party on Wednesday by hoodlums which he said, were under the directive of the so called Caretaker Committee as a sad reminder of the days of lawlessness, impunity and brigandage for which sponsors of the Caretaker committee have been known over the years.
In a statement on Wednesday by his spokesman, Inuwa Bwara, Modu Sheriff called on his supporters to remain calm and law abiding in the face of the various provocations, by allowing the law to take its course.
Senator Modu Sheriff implored security agencies to stop taking sides in political matters, as demonstrated by some policemen deployed to secure the PDP Secreteriat.
He viewed the acts of desperation on the part of the so-called Caretaker Committee to confer a semblance of legitimacy on Senator Ahmed Makarfi and his co travelers as unfortunate, seeing that they have resorted to blatant lies and blackmail of his person.
It would be recalled that Dayo Adeyeye, who spoke on behalf of Senator Makarfi had alleged that, Modu Sheriff is being sponsored by the Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC), and that there was no court order granting him leave to operate his office.
“Ridiculous as it may sound, given the fact that right thinking Nigerians know that, Makarfi and the cabal that has been sponsoring him are merely crying wolf, where there was none, having come face to face with the truth, law and reality, it is imperative to state some facts, for the records.
“Makarfi and his sponsors want to create the wrong impression that Sheriff is not reliable, whereas it is an open secret that Sheriff has given credible and honest leadership to his state, to Nigeria and to the PDP, even for the short period he has been in the saddle of leadersip that Ahmed makarfi.
“Be that as it may, we wish to challenge Ahmed Makarfi to name the date, venue and names of those in attendance at the so called meeting sheriff allegedly had with some Governors from the APC. Again how Sheriff could have been a stooge when he remains the only PDP stalwart that speaks out against the APC since the party lost the 2015 elections?
“For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state that Ali Modu Sheriff left the APC at its formative stage, and has never had anything to do with the party or any of its stalwarts since his departure. One wonders how Ahmed Makarfi and his cohorts could tell lies just to divert attention from the real issues at stake.
“The issues at stake remain the presence of a cabal in the PDP, desperately trying to hijack the structure of the party and continue the perpetuation of acts of lawlessness and impunity, which Ali Sheriff resisted.
“While we e consider it most uncharitable that Makarfi will attempt to smear our revered National Chairman by leveling frivolous allegations, in the hope that he can divert attention from the real agenda of the group leading him by the nose, we make bold to state that his own ambition to become the Presidential candidate of the PDP in 2019 is an open secret..
“We have noticed that, besides playing to the gallery, telling lies is gradually becoming their mode of operation, while acts of hooliganism and brigandage are their modes of expression; different from the lawful and dignified approach to issues of senator Ali Sheriff in securing his mandate.
“While restating that Ali Sheriff remains the lawful National Chairman, no matter their antics, nor acts of brigandage, it is becoming clearer to Nigerians that, the Caretaker Committee are becoming more violent, in the tradition of their paymasters, and the law enforcement agencies have the duty to stop them.
Sheriff relies on the orders of the Federal High Court in suit number FHC/L/CS/613/2016, delivered on 24th May, 2016.” [myad]
The 3 Changes Nigeria Needs, By Muhammadu Buhari
Nigeria is at a crossroads. Just over a year ago, people voted in a historic democratic election to end corruption and business as usual, opting instead to build an economy that delivers for all Nigerians. President Buhari departs Abuja for London on a 10-day vacation President Buhari The old order was based on an unsustainable commodities supercycle. While the boom had many positives and contributed to Nigeria becoming Africa’s largest economy, it fostered an epidemic of corruption and inefficiency. Foreign businesses and financial institutions also benefited as some people spent and sometimes hid huge sums abroad, lifted by the rising tide of oil exports and dollar revenues. Now we are living in a new world of low energy prices. The economy has slowed while unemployment and inflation have jumped. Longstanding structural imbalances and overdependence on imports have been cruelly exposed. We are an oil-rich nation that imports most of our gasoline. We are a farming nation that imports most of our basic food staples. This is simply not acceptable or sustainable. Our solutions must be in proportion to the challenges. Fundamental change takes time and we are driving not one but three changes to reposition Nigeria for inclusive growth. Restore Trust we have begun to tackle the endemic corruption and mismanagement that is crippling our economy and corroding trust in our institutions. The anticorruption fight is at the heart of combating poverty and improving security. We have stepped up enforcement and new prosecutions to get our house in order, and I have called for foreign governments to work with us to identify where funds stolen during previous administrations are lodged and for multistate cooperation to combat oil theft. Fighting corruption is not enough. We need accountable government and a public sector that can do more with less. We have already taken initial steps by bringing all government finances into a single treasury account where we can monitor spending and impose discipline, implementing zero-based budgets and benchmarks targeted at waste and fraud, and establishing electronic platforms for government agency interface. Rebalance Our Economy In a world of lower oil prices and dollar revenues, the only sustainable path is to reduce Nigerians’ overreliance on imports. We must rebalance our economy by empowering entrepreneurs and producers, big and small, to create more of what their fellow Nigerians demand. The supply of foreign exchange to the economy must be increased. This requires radically increasing exports and productivity and improving the investment climate and ease of doing business. Nigeria’s growth and job creation will be led by the private sector. We are a young, entrepreneurial society with vibrant success stories in new industries such as telecommunications, technology and entertainment. Government is doing its part to lower taxes on small businesses, eliminate bureaucracy to bring the informal economy out of the shadows and provide development funding for priority sectors such as agriculture. The central bank has moved to introduce greater flexibility in our exchange-rate policy. These actions are a downpayment on our people’s ability to succeed. Regenerate Growth We must reposition our economy by attracting investment in domestic industries and infrastructure. Nigeria has huge untapped gas reserves and also a critical shortage of electricity. Our private sector loses too much of its revenue due to brownouts and power outages. Half of my fellow Nigerians have no access to the power grid. Investment in our power infrastructure, restructuring of the state-run oil-and-gas sector and development of other industries such as solid minerals, metals and petrochemicals will help to create a virtuous circle of growth and exports while creating jobs and reducing poverty. I am optimistic that our actions are providing the breathing room Nigeria needs during this period of fundamental change. But we cannot improve living conditions and restore fiscal health without making people feel safe and secure—just as we cannot defeat militancy without reducing poverty and dislocation. One of our main achievements this past year has been to unite regional and global allies to push back Boko Haram. What we do in the next three years to build an economic bridge to Nigeria’s future will be just as important for bringing lasting peace and prosperity.
-President Muhammadu Buhari who is currently in London, United Kingdom, on a 10-day vacation wrote this article yesterday on the American Wall Street Journal. myad]