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My next line of action as national chairman of PDP - Modu SheriffUpdated: 26 minutes agoAuthor:Eromosele EbhomeleViews: 2127TwitterFacebo
- Ali Modu Sheriff says if he is a le asclaimed by Governor Nyesom Wike, thenthe latter should be held responsible forallowing him run the party affairs- The former governor of Borno state says he is no longer interested in being the chairman of the PDP, but that he wants to put the right things in place before leaving- He also speaks on Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state and responds to calls that he should leave the seat of the chairman of the partyAli Modu Sheriff, who was recently affirmed as the authentic national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by an appeal court in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, was at the Channels Television on Sunday, February 19, where he spoke on various issues concerning the leadership crisis in the party as well as allegation of being a mole of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).Eromosele Ebhomelemonitored the interview and produces excerpts:Modu Sheriff says he was practically begged to take over the chairmanship of the PDPThere is something called legitimacy. If the governors and former ministers say they do not want you, don't you think it would just be nice to take a bow and leave?If you understand the organs of the party, there is nothing like the Former Ministers Forum. It is not the Forum that brought me to the level of becoming a national chairman. I became the national chairman through a due process, where the NEC of the party met. There are four other people who wanted to be the chairman at that time. It was put to vote and I got about 69 votes. The next person to me got only nine. I would have wished the Former Ministers Forum would make a statement and let all the ministers in Nigeria sit together and decide.Or like the case of Governor Ayo Fayosewho said he is speaking on behalf of the (PDP) Governors' Forum; for sure, I have spoken to a lot of governors in the party and all of them are thinking of howwe can build the party and have a credible convention. So I don't want to join issues with Fayose and his statements, but what I want to assure Nigerians is that this party will come back. This party will be in the position of1999 and we are making consultations all over Nigeria putting everybody together so that we can do a convention and elect leaders who can run the party.The Ahmed Makarfi faction is believed to be planning an injunction to stop youfrom parading yourself as the chairman of the party. Are you also aware of the meeting of the NEC and other stakeholders scheduled for Monday, February 20?I have not, as the national chairman, called for any meeting. Also, I am making consultations. A group of people have right to meet, but as PDP, we have not called for meeting. The thing is we will call for meeting after we finish with the consultation we are making. I have said there is no sacrifice too much to make for the PDP. And this PDP is the party for all Nigerians. It doesnot belong to Ali Sheriff or any governor. Neither does it belong to any minister. Therefore, it is wrong for me oranybody to sit down and assume the authority of having the party for himself.READ ALSO:Makarfi's PDP accuses APC of influencing appeal court judgement in favour of SheriffI want to believe that at my level, I don't think it will be right for me to make statements that cannot be justified in anyway because parties have constitutions; they run with rules and laws. All along that we were in court, if you watch carefully, I always acted within the rule of law. Therefore, if Makarfi wanted to take the laws into his hands, I will not be part of those that will do it. And I don't intend to join issues with him ever.You have talked about consultations and that some heavyweights have been writing to you. Who are those with you? Are there any governors or members of the BoT with you?Let me tell you clearly that as of today, since the announcement of this court judgement, I have spoken to more than seven governors, I have spoken to a lot of the BoT members, I have spoken to a lot of former governors. Their views andmine are all the same. I have told everybody that all I am interested in is to do a convention. When we agree on atime frame, I will consult the National Assembly and others and we will do theconvention.I don't want us to start destroying our party on the pages of newspapers or the media. When they invited me to come and lead the party, I took it with allgood intentions. Therefore, if along the line there are misunderstanding here and there, the best way is to resolve the issues amicably; it is not on the television we would come and exchange words.Modu Sheriff confirmed that he met with Ibrahim Babangida on Sunday, February 19You said you're willing to make sacrifices, but how much sacrifice are you willing to make? Can you step downfor peace?In party leaderships, you have to conduct a congress. When I say I am ready to make sacrifices, I don't intend to run the tenure that was prescribed for me at all. Since there are arguments,the best way is to resolve them amicably. I heard when you asked Wike a question relating to a statement attributed to me. I have not made any statement except one. I have no issue to join with Wike or Fayose and have never said I will deal with them. I was a governor; both of them are governors oftheir states. I know the writers (of that statement) and they are the same people who are causing this trouble but I don't want to join issues with them. I did not make the statement.One of the allegations from Wike is that you are a mole in the PDP and you don't have the interest of the party at heart. It is believed you are being used by the APC to destabilise the PDP. One will wonder, why are you doing that?READ ALSO:Sheriff secretly meets with Ibrahim Babangida and former Niger governorYou should have asked him if it was the PDP that sent him to come and ask me to lead the party. He was among the people who invited me. So if I am a mole, he was the one that made the provision for me to be a mole in the PDP, because I remember very well that Wike was on the front-burner for me to be the chairman of the PDP. So where does the issue of mole come since I didn't bring myself?Wike says one of the biggest political mistakes he has ever made is approaching you...If he said that, it means he knows I am not a mole. Probably, he invited me thinking I will take instructions from himto run the party. At my level, I have my mind. I looked at the Nigerian people and the party and accepted to lead the party. I want to tell you clearly that I have nothing to do with the APC because it was not the APC that came to beg me, it was him and some of his colleagues that came to beg me to lead the PDP.I was really taken aback by some of the statements I heard from Wike.Now that the appeal court has affirmed you as the chairman, what is your immediate next step?The next step for me is to move to the party office. The second is to make zonal consultations and try to make sure we agree on a timetable for a quickconvention that will produce leaders of the party acceptable to everybody. I am not interested in leading the party any longer, but since the responsibility was put on me to lead the party, I must makesure it goes through a convention and ensure the right things are done. I don't have any other agenda rather than to make sure I conduct a convention.Should you lose at the Supreme Court right now, what would you do?Even this judgement that has come from the Court of Appeal, I actually left the justices of the court to decide who is right and who is wrong. I have never said to anybody that I have an iota of information of what would happen tomorrow. It is not like when Wike said he was going to win at the Supreme Court when the tribunal and the Court ofAppeal nullified his election. He is telling Nigerians that he has the control of the Supreme Court, but I don't believeso. The Supreme Court is the highest court of the land and will make pronouncements based on the facts before it. And I believe that the SupremeCourt will make pronouncements basedon what they have seen from the Court of Appeal being the second highest court in the land.READ ALSO:Supporting Sheriff is the only way PDP can survive - Ben BruceI want to tell you that I am law-abiding citizen.Have you spoken with former President Goodluck Jonathan since the judgement? What is your relationship with the Prof Jerry Gaba committee?I want to tell you I have not spoken to President Jonathan yet. When this judgement was passed, I was not even around. I plan to speak with President Jonathan probably tomorrow (today, Monday 20), but the vice president, Namadi Sambo, has called me to speak with me. I have met with General Babangida. I have spoken to a lot of leaders with the view to finding a lastingsolution to our party's problem.I am not afraid of any litigation. The justices of the appeal court have made pronouncements and by the grace of God, other justices would also look at the merit of the case and make judgement.

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2015/2016 Academic Session: Second Semester Mid-Semester Break

The Mid-Semester Break as contained in the Senate approved Academic Calendar for 2015/2016 would commence as scheduled from Sunday, 21st to 28th August, 2016.

A statement signed by the Deputy Registrar, Directorate of Examinations, Admissions and Records (DEAR), Amina Umar Abdullahi (Mrs) advised the lecturers and students to observe the break.

However, normal academic activities would resume on Monday, 29th August, 2016.

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The Governor of Oyo state, Abiola Ajimobi, has accused highly placed individuals of shielding criminals in the society.
To mitigate rising crime in the communities within the state, the governor advised eminent persons including traditional rulers, captains of industry and politicians in the state not to shadow or spare any criminal in the state.
Ajimobi said instead of shadowing or sparing them for personal or selfish reasons, they should expose them (criminals) in the interest of the state and the general public to rid the state of criminal activities.
Represented by his deputy, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, the governor said this known on Monday in Ibadan, the state capital during the inauguration of the state Eminent Persons Forum at the Police Headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan.
According to him, most of the eminent persons not only in the state are the one who usually pick their phones to call security agencies to release their men for personal reasons.
He urged them not to continue with the act in the interest of the state.
Ajimobi said: “As traditional rulers, politicians, captains of industry, professionals we know who are criminals, it is the eminent persons that usually call the security agencies to release criminals. Please let us expose them.
“Also, let us protect the welfare of the police. In some circumstances, they also have to save their lives.
“It is the responsibility of all of us, all of us have responsibility to expose those criminals we know.
“When you talk about the developed countries, it is not the police that go after criminals, it is the technology, let us make emphasis on modern technology, we can also have traditional ways of exposing criminals so that things can also work.”

He then assured the police of the continued support of the state government in a bid to tackle crimes in the state.
“I want to assure you that Oyo state government will continue to support the police so that we can have peace in the state, there is no any other job for the government than to protect the lives and property in the state, we are ready to continue to get the state secured.
“I am appealing to the eminent persons to support the state also, you are aware we have a security trust fund, government cannot do it alone, let us make sure we are security conscious,”the governor said.
The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Samuel Adegbuyi, told the gathering  that the forum was in line with the directive of the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Idris IB.rahim to state police commands to constitute Eminent Persons Forum in their respective states across the federation.
The Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Idowu Olayinka who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration, Professor Emilolorun Ayelari called for an improved welfare package for  police officers, adding that the current accommodation for police men is very poor and dehumanising .
Others who spoke at the forum included traditional rulers and chiefs lauded the initiative and pledged their support.
In attendance at the meeting included , the Otun Olubadan, High Chief Lekan Balogun and High Chief Eddy Oyewole who led the Olubadan-in-Council, Baale of Ekotede Chief Taiwo Ayorinde leader of Igbo community in the state, Dr Alex Anozie and Chief Olapade Agoro among others.
Others included representatives of religious groups, Igbo General Assembly, Hausa and Fulani communities, traditional rulers, market women, farmers association among others.

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