Factional national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senator Ali Modu Sheriff has called on Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose to “respect himself” and mind his utterances.
Sheriff, who spoke when leaders of the party from the South-West paid him a solidarity visit, noted that Fayose’s utterances were capable of dividing the party further.
PDP, the main opposition party has been embroiled in crisis over who is the authentic chairman of the party, a situation that has created two factions within the party.
One faction is loyal to Sen Sheriff who was recently declared the national chairman of the party by an Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt.
However, a second faction led by chairman of the party’s caretaker committee, Sen Ahmed Makarfi, has refused to accept the ruling, and vowed to approach the Supreme Court to upturn the judgement.
In all of these, Governor Fayose who doubles as the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum has been the most vocal of the Sheriff opponents.
He recently described Sheriff as a general without soldiers in the PDP, and described those in support of Sheriff as political nonentities.
Sheriff on his part has continued to maintain a gentleman’s posture, and cultured silence.
He however said on Wednesday, that he would not join issues with Fayose , or reply the unprintable things the governor has said against him, as that would mean him coming down to the Ekiti governor’s level.
He did however call on governors under the PDP platform, including Fayose not to do anything that would further divide it.
He noted that the governors are important in the party, and that they are leaders in their own right, and so must not do anything that will further divide the party.
He particularly called on Fayose to “respect himself and respect the PDP.”
His words: “Yes, our governors are very important people. They are leaders of the party in their own right. I beg them not to divide the party. Let everybody unite and build the party.
‘’For Governor Ayo Fayose, I have no issues to join with him because I cannot even comment on some of the things he says and does. Doing that would amount to coming back to his level. But I beg him to respect himself, to respect the PDP, respect Nigeria because whatever you say today, posterity will judge you. I beg him to control himself.”
Sheriff also commented that the ruling of the court of appeal declaring him chairman of the party is a victory for every member of the PDP, and that his desire is to work towards organising a credible convention that would produce a leadership to take PDP to higher height.
“As I said, this victory is for every member of PDP.; there is no loser. People can vent their anger but as a leader and father of everybody, I want to make sure that this party is united”, Sheriff asserted.
