SOUTH EAST GOVS FAIL TO RECONCILE NWODO, CHIME

By NBF News
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There appears to be no end to the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State, which has pitched Governor Sullivan Chime against the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo. Efforts made by the South-east governors to broker peace yesterday hit the rocks with the alleged refusal of the Enugu governor to withdraw the suit filed against the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the contentious matter.

After several hours of meeting with both the governor and party chairman which lasted till about 1a.m. on Monday morning, the South-east governors, led by Ebonyi State Governor, Chief Martin Elechi, could not make any headway in the reconciliatory move.

Speaking for the first time on the Enugu crisis, Nwodo noted that the dissolution of the Enugu State PDP executive committee as announced by the NWC stands and that consequently the running of the party in the state will be in the hands of the zonal office of the party.

He expressed surprise with the reactions from the government over the dissolution, insisting that it was in response to a letter from INEC which could have been sorted out amongst party stakeholders in the state.

'What pains me today is that this issue as requested by INEC has culminated in a situation where I have become an object of bashing in the national dailies and on the internet.

'The constitution of the party is clear on the election and removal of members of the NWC not by House of Assembly in a state somewhere in Nigeria passing a vote of no confidence or by resolution of local government chairmen or councilors; or traditional rulers from the home of the chairman to be intimidated by their government to pass a vote of no confidence on the national chairman for his removal.

'I thought we have passed this stage in the politics of Nigeria; what is happening in the state is uncalled for; if anybody is to be blamed in the dissolution, it should be INEC; because what we did was for us to obey the injunction of INEC in eight states; but to go to the extent to malign the character and authority of the national chairman is a sorry state. I'm yet to know why? And I want to know why. The governor and I are Catholics; when we went to the bishops to make our confessions even at that stage I could not be told why.

'The president has called for a cease fire, church called for a cease fire, NWC called for a cease fire, in spite of all these, I have been humiliated, assaulted, bashed, been condemned dead and carried in a casket.

'Yesterday three other governors of PDP in the South-east also intervened in the matter and yet to no avail; they have said the matter should be withdrawn from the court and resolved amicably; again we met a brickwall; indeed it was after the meeting failed at about 1a.m. last night that I decided to tell my side of the story to the press.'

Nwodo noted that there was no crack in the NWC, pointing out that recently, following its meeting last week, the NWC called on the Enugu State Government, party and state Assembly to stop their campaigns of calumny against the party and national chairman.

'INEC has also said they will entertain additional information from any of the states that feels that the decision of INEC should be reversed; I have made such information from the states available to INEC.

'I think we should pursue this matter with INEC, let them come out with their final verdict, based on the additional information that Enugu State chapter has supplied in which they will not want a fresh congress in the state; that matter is outside my portfolio; the state chapter has gone to court against the national body as well as INEC; we will like the court to be left to adjudicate on the matter.'

He raised the alarm over threats to his life in the state pointing out that he had unnecessarily been forced to beef up security at his Enugu residence following security reports which revealed plans from within Enugu State to eliminate him.

He denied allegations that he had plans to take over the party structure in the state for selfish interest, stating that his family members had resolved not to run for any elective position in the party while he remain chairman; 'and I can tell you that I have no candidate in the state; the only thing I stand for is the entrenchment of internal democracy in the party.'