Clark warns Makarfi: Don’t stay longer than 3 months

Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has called on the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee not to stay in office for more than three months.

He said the committee should conduct a national convention on the expiration of the three months to elect new members of National Working Committee, NWC, and National Executive Committee, NEC.

In a statement on Thursday, Clark also asked the PDP to adopt part of the recommendations of the Senator Ike Ekweremadu-led Reconciliation Committee by ensuring that the presidential candidate of the party for the 2019 election came from the north, while the national chairmanship position should come from the South.

He warned the PDP against allowing governors hijack delegates to convention and recommended that direct primary be done at the ward, local government and state levels to enable delegates vote directly without any influence or intimidation from the governors.

He said: “You will recall that I was one of the elders and senior members of PDP, the party in power at the centre from the return of democracy in 1999 to 2015.
 “While I was in the party as a member, I paid my dues to the fullest until I retired from partisan politics in 2015.

“Though I have retired from partisan politics, but I remain a statesman and stakeholder in the Nigeria project and I have been contributing to the peace and development of our dear nation, Nigeria. This explains why I will advise on any subject that concerns the well- being of our country.
  “It is on this platform that I am offering my well thought out counsel, especially at this time when the PDP is preparing for its non-elective convention.

“I have observed the Constitution of PDP and the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and wish to state as follows: Senator Ahmed Markarfi’s Caretaker Committee should be given at most another three months to allow new executives and other organs of the party to be elected to enable the Party move on.
 “Any time longer than three months will not be in the best interest of the Party and its members.
 “If presidential election is to take place in February 2019, the minimum time required by an elected executive will not be more than 12 months to settle down.
 “If there are interested members of the Caretaker Committee for elective positions, such as President, Senator or Governor, such persons should not remain in office as members of the Caretaker Committee for more than three months.
 “Zoning of Presidency and Chairmanship of the Party. Part of The Ekweremadu Committee Report which zoned the Presidency to the North, and the National Chairmanship to the South should be adopted.
“Let all Presidential aspirants from the 19 states of the North be subjected to one Primary, whereas, all National Chairmanship candidates from the 17 States of the South be subjected also to one Primary to contest together, so as to produce the best candidate, to practicalize democracy”.