From Mohammed Abubakar (Abuja) and Kelvin Ebiri (Port Harcourt)

The party has also announced the postponement of the convention, which it will now hold next month, September 1 and 2.

This is as the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Col. Ahmadu Ali (rtd), said yesterday that the party would insist on the election and not selection of its candidates during its primaries.

Though ANPP National Caretaker Committee Chairman and Borno State Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, cited the need to receive and study the reports and recommendations of all the committees before fixing the dates of the convention, The Guardian learnt that the shift was the climax of the cold war, which has been raging between some governors and the convention panel chairman, the Kebbi State Governor, Mohammed Adamu Aliero.

During a media briefing in Abuja yesterday, Sheriff, flanked by his colleagues, Alhaji Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe) and Alhaji Ahmed Sani Yerima (Zamfara), said the decision to postpone the convention was taken by the caretaker committee, leaders and stakeholders in Maiduguri, Borno State and Abuja between Monday and yesterday.

Under the previous arrangement, the convention would have started tomorrow and end on Friday, August 25. He revealed further that the caretaker committee meeting would only hold to receive and consider reports from the constitution review and manifesto review committees.

It was also resolved that a joint meeting of the national caretaker and convention committees would be held on August 25 to receive and consider reports of the states congresses and the zoning of the national offices.

Besides, the newly-elected state chairmen of the party, whose elections were duly certified, would be sworn in on August 28.

Sheriff in the statement also said that the joint caretaker and convention committees would meet on August 30 to receive nominations to the national offices from the zones.

He noted that the accreditation of national delegates for the national convention will be conducted on September 1, preparatory to the convention.

By yesterday's announcement, all the announcements made by the NCC in respect of the convention, according to Sheriff, should be ignored, adding that his new position should be seen as taking precedence over those earlier made by the NCC.

Sheriff said there was nothing wrong with the shift in the dates of the convention since it was in consonance with the constitution of the party.

His words: "We are going to receive the reports of the convention and constitutional review committees, which are all part of the convention, therefore, if there is a change in date, it means we have to ensure that things are done properly, because there is nothing sacrosanct about date in political dispensation as long as those days are constitutional.

"The decision was taken by the party's stakeholders, who have the right to take such decisions at any time to look at the state of the party and take whatever decision they deem necessary for the overall good of the party."

However, a source at the party's secretariat told The Guardian yesterday that the shift was the peak of the disagreement between the two groups jostling for control of the party ahead of the convention.

Though Aliero was said to have been part of the caretaker committee meeting in Maiduguri, he allegedly refused to participate in the concluding Abuja forum because of the differences he had with others.

Governors Dalhatu Attahiru Bafarawa of Sokoto and Ibrahim Saminu Turaki of Jigawa have earlier in the year left the party for the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Aliero's reaction could not be got yesterday.

Meanwhile, Ali in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on Monday night, said that the PDP will not tolerate unruly behaviour of political aspirants and their supporters during the party's primaries. They will be disqualified, he warned.

Ali spoke at a rally held in his honour at the Alfred Diete Spiff Civil Centre. He said that the amendment of the PDP constitution has made it possible for every ward in a state to elect 25 delegates each.

The 25 delegates and 15 members of the ward executive in a local government area would elect candidates for state Houses of Assembly.

"Similarly, the number of local government areas that make up a senatorial district, will vote for candidate they want to be senator. Then all the 40, of them will congregate in the state capital to produce their gubernatorial candidate. What this means is that the PDP has democratized itself further", he said.

The PDP national chairman noted that the party would insist on the conduct of primaries and would not replace the name of a candidate who had been duly elected.

He then urged all aspirants to return to the grassroots to solicit the support of their people. This he said was because the leadership of the party would not brook petition to displace a person duly elected at a primary.

He explained that in order to instill discipline in the PDP, the party would insist and ensure that every contestant abide by its code of conduct.

According to Ali, the party's leadership has resolved that it would not brook irresponsible behavior because it wants people of integrity to represent it.

He said the national working committee of the PDP has completed work on the guidelines for election, congresses and convention which are to take place before the general elections next year.

These guidelines, he further explained, would be made public as soon as the National Executive Council of the party ratifies them.

The PDP National Chairman explained that the party had taken steps to avert acrimony in the conduct of its affairs, particularly as it concerns the conduct of primaries.

He said that candidates vying for elective positions must be elected and not selected.

Ali said the party has resolved that it would conduct its affairs more transparently this time.

According to him, the whole essence of the on-going reform process in the party is geared towards further democratisation of the party, particularly at the grassroots.