Senator Makarfi :

Leaders of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP are locked in a meeting in Port Harcourt to device a next line of action following the lock out of delegates from the venue of the party’s national convention early Wednesday morning.

 It was gathered that one of the options being considered at the meeting being held inside the Rivers State government house was shifting the National Convention by three months.

 Also, chairman of the party’s caretaker committee, Ahmed Makarfi, inaugurated the National Executive Committee of the party made up of of Governors, National Assembly Caucus, Board of Trustees, National Caucus, 36 State PDP chairmen and national officers of the party.

Delegates to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers, had earlier on Wednesday denied access to Sharks Stadium, venue of the event by security operatives.

This followed early morning sealing of the stadium and barricading of entrances to it with police Armoured Personnel Carriers and armed operatives.

 Justice Okon Abang had in a ruling yesterday evening in Abuja stopped the convention.

He also instructed the Inspector General of Police to ensure that the convention was not held.

The combined team of security officials made up of soldiers, police officer and DSS operatives also chased away officials of the party and journalists.

The security agents numbering over five hundred came with armoured personnel carriers, grenade launchers and other sophisticated weapons.

They also dislodged television crews already positioned to beam the PDP National Convention live.

Some of the delegates decried the development, especially after a court ruling in Port Harcourt, gave the party the order to proceed with the convention.

A delegate from Ebonyi, Mrs Mary Onah, told the News Agency of Nigeria that she was shocked to see the venue of the convention sealed and delegates prevented from entering.

“I arrived here as early as 6 a.m. with other delegates from our state only to be told we could not go in.

“We are confused and do not know what is really happening,” she said.

Her counterpart from Kano, Alhaji Mohammed Muntari, expressed similar sentiments and wondered why the convention would be scuttled after all efforts to put things right.

“ Honestly, I was taken aback when the police prevented us from entering the stadium. We will meet our party leaders to get more briefings on the situation and then know the way forward,” Muntari said.

Mr Balogun Olamide from Ogun, said he did not anticipate that the convention would be aborted, adding that delegates from the states thought that all was well with arrangements for the event.

Contacted, the Commissioner of Police in Rivers, Mr Francis Odesanya, said that the command prevented people from entering the venue in compliance with order of the court.

“Our actions are in line with court order; the time we moved in is not relevant.

“Police have been there and we are always everywhere. We are always providing security everywhere and it is our primary assignment to make sure everywhere in the state is well secured,” Odesanya said.

He explained that the police did not seal the venue but were providing security.

The commissioner added that the Force Public Relations Officer had already spoken on the issue, and declined further comments.

“Henceforth, direct your inquiries to the PPRO,” he said.

Efforts to reach top officials of the party failed as they, including governors, were said to have begun an emergency meeting somewhere in the Government House axis.

NAN reports some of the delegates besieged the PDP Headquarters in the state located on Aba Road, while some returned to their hotels, apparently waiting for outcome of the emergency meeting by their leaders.