By Tony Edike
ENUGU—THE National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, yesterday, dismissed reports and speculations that the party’s leadership was divided over recent developments within its rank, saying the  National Working Committee, NWC, which he heads has remained intact .

Nwodo, who addressed a news conference in Enugu over the lingering crisis within the PDP in Enugu State, said the state executive of the party remained dissolved, adding that the affairs of the party in the state would be conducted by the South-East Zonal Executive of the party led by Chief Olisa Metuh until further notice.

But in a swift reaction yesterday, chairman of the dissolved executive committee of the party in the state, Engr. Vita Abba, declared that his executive remained intact as the dissolution of the executive by Nwodo did not receive the endorsement of NWC or the National Executive of the party which is constitutionally empowered to carry out such an action.

He said Nwodo’s action regarding the party in his home state had exposed his desperate bid to hijack the party’s structure which laboured to install him as national chairman after granting the waiver that qualified him for the position.

Nwodo told reporters at his residence that he decided to back out of the peace meeting summoned at Government House, Enugu, on Sunday by the governors of the South East zone to resolve the alleged frosty relationship between him and Governor Sullivan Chime because  “I can’t attend meeting in  a place where they put me in a casket  while I am alive”.

According to him, the governors later met with him in his residence in Enugu but the peace meeting collapsed following the refusal of Enugu’s governor to “shift ground” and placate his supporters to withdraw the suit in court over the dissolution of the state executive of the party in the state, stressing that Enugu problem had become intransigent.

Nwodo said there was no truth in stories making the rounds that the National Working Committee of the party was in crisis over the dissolution of some state executive committees, stressing that he presided over a meeting of the committee last Wednesday where certain decisions were reached without any member objecting to the decisions which were in the collective interest of the party.

“There is no crack in the NWC of our great party. It is intact. There is no problem whatsoever. It is those trying to cause confusion that are planting the story. I presided over a meeting of the committee last Wednesday in which   they asked that the campaign of calumny in Enugu State be brought to a halt. So, there is no cause for alarm and it is difficult to believe that we would at this time disagree when a crucial moment in our nation’s history is around the corner,” Nwodo said.

The PDP National Chairman who broke his silence over the party crisis in Enugu State, said he was pained by the level of campaign of calumny being sponsored against his person and family since the dissolution, explaining that the decision on the state executive was not personal as the National Working Committee acted based on the directive from INEC.

He recalled that the party’s problem had been there since 2008, adding that he had on a number of occasions requested for fresh congresses in state chapters with “inconclusive congresses.

Nwodo said: “I thought we could do harmonization for Enugu, but on each occasion, we meet a brick wall. So by August when INEC wrote asking that we conduct fresh congresses in eight states including Enugu, we immediately invited the affected state governors to Abuja and told them so.

Congresses have been held in Anambra and Imo, Enugu should be the next in line followed by Kogi. But when we dissolved the executive of Enugu, all heads broke loose. We were challenged that we have no authority to do so.

I have been cajoled as taken a unilateral decision, I have been threatened. They have carried mock coffins about me burying me even while I live.

“My state Assembly has risen against me; the chairmen of the councils of the state have been mobilized against me. They have asked councilors to obtain signatures passing vote of no confidence against me.

The traditional rulers in my community have been intimidated to come to government house and disown me, all in a bid to give me a bad name. But the constitution of the PDP, which we have, cannot remove a chairman by the resolution of the House of Assembly, or that of the council chairmen or their councilors.”

Describing what is going on Enugu state as “terrible and uncalled for’, Nwodo said that if anybody should be blamed for the dissolution, it should be the INEC and not his person.

“To malign my character to this point, I am yet to know why, I will love to know why. As I said the President, the Church, the NWC have called for cease fire and I hope my position will not cause further crisis in the state”, he said.

He, however, revealed that the INEC had given opportunity for state chapters that have  new grounds to canvass on why their executive should not be dissolved to come with such position but declared that the Enugu executive committee remained dissolved until otherwise.

Nwodo denied speculations that he dissolved the structure of the party in the state so as to make room for his cronies and supporters to contest election in the party, stressing that he had no interest in any structure or individual in the state.

“I have been asked by the Governor and President my interest, those that I will to be retained to contest election under the platform of the PDP, those I will like to be appointed Commissioner and let me say it publicly that I have no candidate for any election.

Anybody who wants to contest elections under the PDP, what we have decided in the NWC is to provide them a level playing ground to contest. Let the people speak, let there be internal democracy. This is the PDP and not a party of god fathers and godmothers.

Anybody aspiring is aspiring to represent the people. I don’t want to control any structure. I am not taking away anybody’s structure”, the PDP National Chairman stated.

He declared that no member of his family was seeking any elective position presently even when they have the inalienable right as citizens of the country to do so.