It's a lie! Bayelsa governor denies asking Makarfi to step down as PDP chairman

It's a lie! Bayelsa governor denies asking Makarfi to step down as PDP chairman

-The governor of Bayelsa state, Seriake Dickson has refuted reports that he asked Ahmed Makarfi to step down

- Madia reports had quoted the governor saying he demanded that the caretaker chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to vacate office

- The governor described the reports as misleading

The governor of Bayelsa state, Seriake Dickson has refuted reports that he asked the caretaker chairman of the PDP, Ahmed Makarfi to step down.

Governor Dickson has refuted media reports that he asked PDP caretaker committee chairman, Ahmed Makarfi to step down

Governor Dickson, who is the chairman of the PDP's national reconciliation committee described the report as "misleading".

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) had reported on Monday, March 20 that the Bayelsa governor asked Makarfi to step down.

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Makarfi is at loggerheads with the factional chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff

A statement signed by the special adviser to the governor on media relations, Francis Agbo, the governor said the NAN reporter quoted him out of context.

Part of the statement read: "To set the record straight, Governor Seriake Dickson spoke with a selected group of journalists last Saturday in Abuja on the PDP crisis but he never asked Makarfi to step down.

"In the said interview, the governor as a peace maker stated his committee's role in the reconciliation process and argued that, for PDP to bounce back, leaders must make sacrifices.

"He consequently appealed to PDP leaders, including Sheriff and Makarfi, to make sacrifices for the revival of the party, stressing that the PDP is bigger than Sheriff and Makarfi and indeed any individual.

"Curiosly, only NAN misconstrued the governor's interview, all other media organisations in the interaction reported the Governor correctly."

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Meanwhile, the factional chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff has stated that he will not be deceived into resigning his position.

Sheriff is recognised as the authentic chairman of the PDP by the courts, but most members of the party are not is support of his leadership.