PDP crisis deepens as Makarfi’s faction approaches INEC to register ‘Advanced PDP’

Senator Ahmed Makarfi’s faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has reportedly submitted an application to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for the registration of a party named ‘Advanced Peoples Democratic Party’.

According to The Nation, INEC confirmed receipt of the application on Friday.

This is not going down well with the Ali Modu Sheriff faction, who feels the new party is a threat.

It is being reported that the Makarfi camp are not interested in fighting for the chairmanship of the PDP anymore, after a Court of Appeal ruled that Sheriff was the authentic chairman of the party.


The court also sacked the Caretaker Committee headed by Makarfi.

“The Commission has received not less than 70 applications from associations seeking registration and it is processing them,” INEC’s spokesman, Nick Dazang, said when contacted on the Advanced PDP application.

“The association you mentioned must be one of them”, he said.

The Deputy National Chairman to Sheriff, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh has, however, described moves to register the new party as fraudulent.

“The PDP is a lawful franchise and we won’t associate with fraud,” he said in a telephone chat.

Ojougboh asked PDP members and the general public not to “have anything to do with the so-called Advanced PDP.”