Date: 2017-03-23

Former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum (Upstream) and Oyo State Chairman, Interim Management Committee of the Ahmed Makarfi-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, Hon. Ajibola Muraina, in this interview with journalists, spoke on the raging crisis in the party and why the Senator Ali-Modu Sheriff faction cannot conduct congresses in some states. Ademola Babalola brings the excerpts:

You were recently inaugurated as the Interim Management Committee chairman of the Makarfi group of Oyo PDP despite the fact that the Yinka Taiwo-led executive has not been sacked?

The Yinka Taiwo-led state PDP executive has ceased to function since its tenure expired in March 2016. You recall that that executive was elected into the office through a congress of March 2012 for a period of four years. And through the wisdom of our elders like three former Senators; Hosea Ayoola Agboola (Immediate past Senate Deputy-Whip), Ademola Ayoade Adeseun, Gbenga Babalola, a former Minister, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide, Dr. Saka Balogun, Alhaji Kunmi Mustafa, Hon. Mulikat Akande Adeola who was also the immediate past Majority leader of the House of Representatives, Chief Jacob Adetoro, Chief M. F. Adeegbe, Hon. S. A. Olawuwo, Chief Layi Baale, and a number of others across the state, our committee was inaugurated in January this year to chart a meaningful way forward for the consolidation, reconciliation and representative PDP ahead of 2019 election.

Was there a time you all came together and agreed that Taiwo executive should continue to avoid probably a vacuum?

How can you agree on an illegality? You want to extend a tenure of an executive that has lapsed, what kind of agreement is that? We were never part of it and there was nothing like that.

Is it true that there is an existing court case before the Federal High Court in Ibadan concerning the tenure issue?

Yes. It is about the tenure of the state PDP executive. Curiously in the course of the court's proceedings, Taiwo came to court and claimed that there had been a new congress of the party and also brought before the court some documents purportedly procured from the National Secretariat of the party and signed by certain individuals. But the truth is there was nothing like new congress since his tenure expired and we are impressing it on the court that they have perjured. Moreover, if Sheriff, after the judgment of Appeal Court, whom they professed to belong to his group is now saying he wants to conduct fresh congresses in Oyo, Lagos, Kwara and Anambra, are we not vindicated that there has never been any such congress in Oyo since 2016? Secondly, is it not a proof now that what their executive deposed to in court amounted to a nullity?

On the national court cases, there are two Federal High Court cases where the court held that Sheriff cannot be constitutionally regarded as the chairman of the PDP abinitio. And these cases have not been appealed against till today by the Sheriff camp. It now goes to say that they are guilty of contempt of the court to have forcefully took over the national headquarters of our party when in actual fact Makarfi group has filed a motion for stay of execution before the same appeal court. That is also in addition to the fact that we have proceeded to the Supreme Court to challenge the appellate court's judgment. So, planning fresh congresses in Oyo, Lagos, Kwara and Anambra states will amount to contempt of court and exercise in futility because the earlier two judgments that favoured Makarfi have not been appealed against. And the time to appeal against them has even expired.

Is your faction not worried that you are losing out?

There is nothing to worry about because we are taking appropriate steps on the developments.

Are you suspecting an unseen hands in the party's problem?

Yes, there is an unseen hand somewhere because when we won and attempted to take over the secretariat, we were denied by the police. And you now wonder why police has given Sheriff group the opportunity to enjoy unfettered access to the place.

There was an allegation that the Makarfi faction is trying to frustrate the PDP by attempting to register a new political party by using PDP franchise in its bid to register Advanced Peoples Democratic Party, APDP as a new party?

There is nothing like that. Every Nigerian knows we are in PDP as the authentic group. For now, we remain in the Makarfi group and we are not going anywhere.