By TONY EDIKE
THE crisis rocking Enugu State Chapter of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, over the control of the party’s structure took a new turn yesterday as supporters of the National Chairman, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, strongly disagreed over his decision to handpick National Assembly candidates in his Enugu North senatorial zone.

The confusion in the party, which led to two parallel primaries held by Governor Chime’s group and the faction loyal to Nwodo, continued  but while the governor’s faction conducted National Assembly primaries in Enugu West and Enugu East, that of Enugu North, also known as Nsukka zone, did not hold at press time.

The Chime group conducted its primaries under the supervision of the Senator Ndoma-Egba led electoral panel at Agbani and Awgu for Enugu West and Enugu East respectively in a peaceful manner, but results of the election were not released by press time yesterday.

But as Chime and his supporters were holding their primaries in the two senatorial zones, some political leaders in the state who were dissatisfied with the manner  President Goodluck Jonathan resolved the rift between the two factions in the state continued their protest in Abuja.

The leaders, who are members of  Nwodo group include former Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani, Professor Barth Nnaji, Chief Nnia Nwodo, Chief Jim Nwobodo, Dr. Hyde Onuaguluchi, Senator Fidelis Okoro and six PDP governorship aspirants namely Chief Anayo Onwuegbu, Chief Okey Ezea, Dr. Obiora Eneh, Chief Alex Obiechine, Mr. Valentine Nnaedozie and Chief Uche Ogbu.

They left Enugu for Abuja on Monday to protest the decision by President Jonathan, Dr. Nwodo and Governor Chime to adopt the Vita Abba-led State executive of the party as the recognized group that would conduct all the primaries, while Chime and the Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, should be given automatic return ticket.

The group continued with their protest at Abuja but sources said Nwodo was not ready to shift grounds on the decision to allow Chime and his group produce all the candidates for the state and National Assembly, senatorial and governorship position from Enugu East and Enugu West.

Rather, the sources said “Nwodo is only interested in producing the candidates for his Enugu North, including nine candidates for the House of Assembly, three for the House of Representatives and one senatorial candidate.”

Nwodo’s selection of candidates for the zone, however, ran into a hitch as it was done without a normal primary election. The selection of candidates was allegedly done singlehandedly by Nwodo in Abuja, while their supporters gathered at different locations in the seven local government areas in Enugu North for the primaries but could not see any electoral officer for the exercise.

The senator representing Enugu North, Chief Ayogu Eze, whose position was ceded to Nwodo as part of the reconciliation, however, protested the decision.   He absolved Governor Chime of any complicity in the decision which traded off his position and that of 12 other state and national assembly legislators from the zone.

He stated that he and his supporters did not see their disenfranchisement by the PDP as a betrayal by Chime neither do they consider themselves as being sacrificed for the governor’s second term ambition.

Eze declared that it was mischievous and the height of ingratitude for anybody to say that they were sold out or betrayed by the governor, observing that those who made that statement might have done so out of ignorance.

The senate spokesperson said that the decision not to hold primaries in his senatorial zone “is undemocratic and against the spirit and letters of internal democracy which Nwodo has been preaching since he assumed office.”

On speculations that he and his supporters were planning to defect to another party, Eze said they were loyal party members and would still engage in consultation with the people to determine their political future.

“You can see all our delegates milling around here.  They are over 2,000 and we are very ready for primaries but unfortunately, Nwodo has been asked to handpick the candidates by himself, all alone. There is nothing we can do but to allow the people to decide what will be our next line of action,” Eze said.