The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party is keeping mum over the tenure of its newly appointed National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.
Sheriff, who was picked as the sole candidate for the office of the party’s chairman at its National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, replaced the former chairman, Adamu Mu’azu.
The former governor of Bauchi State was forced out of office due to the dismal performance of the party during the March 2015 general elections.
Apart from losing the presidential election to the All Progressives Congress, it also lost many states to the now ruling party.
Sheriff, who was picked from the North-East, where the position was zoned to by the PDP, is expected to serve out the remaining tenure of Mu’azu.
Mu’azu also assumed the position following the resignation of the former occupier of the office, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
However, the party has remained silent on the tenure of Sheriff since he assumed office.
Before now, the members of the National Working Committee of the party had issued out guidelines on its congresses, which will culminate in the holding of its national convention on March 19, in Abuja.
Our correspondent observed that no activity is ongoing to show that the party is keeping faith with the convention.
Attempt to get the official position of the party on this on Friday failed as none of its national officers was willing to comment on the matter.
While the telephone number of the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, was not available, the National Legal Adviser, Mr. Victor Kwon, refused to speak on it.
“I am not the spokesperson of the party, please get Metuh to speak on the matter,” Kwon told our correspondent.
When our correspondent told him that the issue of tenure is also a legal issue, Kwon refused to speak on the matter.
On Tuesday, when Sheriff was appointed, Metuh had said he wasn’t sure of when his tenure, and by extension, that of the NWC, would end.
Nevertheless, investigations by our correspondent showed that the NWC members have started lobbying the governors and other influential members of the party to get six months tenure extension.
One of the NWC members, who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity on Friday, said that there was no way they would vacate office next month.
He said, “We won’t leave office in March, that is very sure.
“We have to update on the party register. That won’t be done in two or three weeks.
“Then, we have to organise ward, local government, state, zonal and national congresses. We need time for all these.”
He said the NWC would soon have meetings with stakeholders of the party where he said, the issue of tenure elongation would be discussed.
Sheriff is still battling to gain the confidence of many influential members of the party.
The Board of Trustees of the party, which is described as its soul, has refused to support him.
Ministers who served under former President Goodluck Jonathan have also asked him to vacate office within the next one week.