By Peter Okutu
ABAKALIKI-A leader of Pro-Sheriff faction of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ebonyi state, Hon. Sunday Ekpa weekend appealed to Senator Ahmed Makarfi’s faction to accept the ruling of the Court of Appeal which reinstated Senator Ali Modu Sheirff as the National Chairman of the Party.

Ekpa enjoined stakeholders of the party to join hands and rebuild the party and avoid unnecessary legal battles that would endanger the chances of the party wresting power from the ruling All Progressives congress, APC come 2019.

He added that the plan of Makarfi’s group to appeal the judgment in Supreme Court would not yield any good result to the party, as there is no more time for the party to strategize ahead of the next
general election.

“We the members of Ali Modu Sheriff camp in Ebonyi state wish to congratulate him for the victory in Appeal Court. We want to urge
Makarfi led group to accept the defeat and join our group to move the party forward in the spirit of sportsmanship. We should be able to carry each other along and move the party forward and achieve our aim.
We should as well remove bitterness.

“I plead that Makarfi and his group should kindly return so that we can work together. The Appeal Court judgment is good because it will move the party forward if we can accept it.

Going to Supreme Court is normal but I don’t think it’s the best for now, considering the nature of the party. The best thing is to come together and see if we can make it in 2019 and recover what we lost in 2015 and move the party forward”. Ekpa said.

However, there was mild jubilation by Pro-Sheriff group in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital after the news of the Appeal court judgment filtered into the town.

Ekpa noted that the judgment has reaffirmed the popular wishes of the members of the PDP that unanimously adopted Sheriff as the Chairman of the party after the resignation of Adamu Mu’Azu.

According to Ekpa, Sheriff’s reinstatement by the Appeal Court was a welcome development. Ends