Death knell for PDP Chairman, Nwodo, PDP in disarray ...Jonathan wades in
Okwesileze Nwodo
Even as the Atiku Abubakar and President Gooduck Jonathan's camps are yet to reconcile, the deposed National Chairman, Okwesileze Nwodo is fighting the battle of his life with the south east flank of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), in total disarray.
Aside Nwodo's issues with the court and his kinsmen, Acting Chairman, Halliru Bello has also been restrained by another court from presenting Jonathan as the party's standard bearer to the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC). A party chieftain, Annie Okonkwo and his group asked for the order.
Pointblanknews.com sources hinted that the problem is giving President Jonathan sleepless nights and expected to summon the gladiators to a meeting at the Presidential Villa to find a way out of the woods.
Said our source” the President is very worried about the whole problem, it is a kind of distraction because of the personal aspirations of some people. He is to meet with all the major players in the south east”
On Sunday the south east caucus of the party led by Deputy Senate President. Ike Ekweremadu, passed a vote of no confidence on Nwodo, advising him to resign or be shoved by the National Working Committee (NWC).
But Pointblanknews.com sources maintained that the call may backfire as the acting National Chairman, Halliru Mohammed may run the party affairs till the next convention.
According to our source” If the Ekeremadu people say he should go, then they should say bye- bye to that office because Halliru will be there permanently. Don't forget that the south east Governors, legislators backed Jonathan, therefore jettisoning zoning, so they can't ask Halliru to act for a while and that another Igbo man should step in later”
Nwodo who was restrained by a court order from running the show at the last convention, has been fingered in the crisis rocking Enugu PDP. He is also being accused of nearly infecting the convention with a legal ailment when he showed up in violation of the order. Said the source” he was not supposed to preside, so in order to ensure the convention doesn't come under legal hammer, we decided Halliru should take his place. But he came there and was acting like there was nothing at stake”
Pointblanknews.com sources also said Nwodo's insistence on running the affairs of the Enugu PDP and insisting on a 70/30 sharing formula irked the south east caucus. He has stalemated strings of primaries. Nwodo unilaterally dissolved the Vitta Abbah led PDP chapter in Enugu and constituted an eight member congress panel with Senator Anthony Agbo from Ebonyin as chairman and one Sam Bassey from Cross River as scribe without consulting other members of the NWC”
Meanwhile his men are doing all they could to get the Enugu State chief Judge to vacate the restraining order.
Said our source” Nwodo overplayed his hands. He tried to undermine Governor Chime. Don't forget this same Chime was one of those who ensured the Chairman emerged. He fought people like Ekeremadu who is a Chime guy. So right now he is on his own”
Even if the NWC asks the south east caucus to present another person, ordinarily, Deputy National chairman, Olisah Metu may be the natural choice, but his reputation and conduct in Anambra are worse than Nwodo's.
Metu has fractured the party with his support for selected candidates. Anambra North, Central and South have several aspirants claiming victory: Andy Uba, Nick Ukachukwu, claim victory in the south Mrs chuba Okadigbo (favored by Metu), and Alphonsus Igbeke all claiming victory in Anambra North . In Anambra Central are Chudi Ofodile,Annie Okonkwo, Christy Okoye, and Jerry Ugokwe
The Nwodo camp has dismissed the Ekweremadu group tagging them 'busy bodies', and that they have no such powers, but his problem has refused to go away.
Ekweremadu said: "A lot of things have happened in the party and we believe we need to intervene to stop further embarrassment. Dr. Nwodo is a prominent Igbo and one of us in Enugu State. He has paid his dues in public service and we don't want a situation where he will continue to suffer humiliation and embarrassment arising from his occupation of the position of PDP National chairmanship."
Nwodo fired back through his media aide, Ike Abonyin “Whatever decisions they took in the so-called Southeast PDP meeting is of no effect because they have no such powers. They are just busy-body people driven by their own interest. Nwodo couldn't have undermined the project he put his life on the line in the past seven months to achieve, which is having a successful national convention and having President Jonathan come through. Even those his political enemies know that without him, the national convention could not have been a huge success. May God bless Nigeria and its dangerous politics,"