Jonathan, Anenih Wade in to Save Chime’s Re-election Bid

Posted by admin Enugu, State News Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

Despite ongoing moves to reconcile the various faction, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State by former chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih, the party yesterday held congresses in the 266 wards where new party executives were elected.
The congresses, which continue today and tomorrow for local and state executives of the party respectively, are in response to the directive of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, which at an emergency meeting in Abuja endorsed fresh congresses for the party in Enugu and Oyo States.
THISDAY checks however revealed that Governor Sullivan Chime, who had been locked in a fierce battle for the control of party structures in the state with the PDP National Chairman, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, has commenced last minute moves to mend fences with Nwodo.

Sources said that the governor, in company with the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, held a closed-door meeting with Nwodo, with Anenih in attendance at the party’s national secretariat last Tuesday.
The governor was said to have apologised to the national chairman over any perceived wrongdoings, pleading that he be forgiven.
After appeals to Nwodo by Chime, Ekweremadu and Anenih who featured at the meeting obviously to make case for the governor, the meeting was said to have shifted to the Presidential Villa yesterday morning, where President Goodluck Jonathan was said to have equally made passionate appeals to Nwodo to accommodate the governor in the congresses.
“Though initially, Nwodo refused to bulge, insisting that his differences with the governor had assumed an irreconcilable dimension, but he later accepted the president’s appeals. They finally agreed to harmonise on a 50/50 basis. The template is expected to be drawn on Wednesday evening at a meeting that is to take place at the PDP headquarters,” a source that monitored the meeting told THISDAY.

The source further disclosed that all the interventions by both the president and Anenih were aimed at saving the governor from possible embarrassment especially as it concerns his second term bid.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had listed Enugu as one of the states with “inconclusive congresses”, stressing that it would not accept any list of candidates of the party from the state for election unless proper congresses were held to determine the party executives.
The national leadership of the party in response to the development had dissolved the state executive of the party under Mr. Vita Abba and ordered for fresh congresses.

But the dissolution was rejected by the Abba executive which took the commission and party to court and obtained an injunction restraining the conduct of fresh congresses.
However, the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, had last week quashed the injunction, making way for the congresses of the party in the state.
However, there were conflicting reports yesterday in Enugu over the possible conduct of the congresses. While a report had it that the president had directed that the exercise be halted preferring harmonisation, another report had it that the exercise be continued without any hindrance.

The congresses, however, went on yesterday as the leaders of the party denied knowledge of the president’s directive.
Some of the party chieftains said that it amounted to “interfering with the functions and activities of the INEC as well as challenging the competence of the NWC of the PDP should President Jonathan urge the suspension of the congress when adequate arrangements had been made for its success”.
The PDP congress committee from Abuja led by Mr. Silvanus Ogere and INEC officials drawn from the Enugu office of the commission yesterday conducted the congresses in the 266 wards of the state.

The outcome of the exercise was yet to be formally announced as at press time. But in some wards monitored including Udenu and Igboeze North councils, the exercise was generally peaceful.
A chieftain of the party, Chief Chukwuagozie Elobuike, told reporters yesterday that the party doubted seriously speculations that the president ordered a halt of the congress, stressing that Jonathan lacked the constitutional capacity to do so.wp_posts