By Henry Umoru
ABUJA—MOVES to nip in the bud the lingering political crisis rocking Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Enugu State have started yielding dividends although both parties were yet to sign the peace terms at press time yesterday.

To end the face-off, President Goodluck Jonathan held a meeting with major stakeholders in the unfolding Enugu State political imbroglio yesterday. Jonathan was said to have advised them to allow peace to reign in Enugu because the party could not afford to lose the state to any opposition party on account of the crisis.

Sources said those at the meeting with President Jonathan at the Villa were: Vice President Namadi Sambo; Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu; Chief Tony Anenih, Director-General, Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organisation; Dr. Sarki Tafida; three traditional rulers, Ray Nnaji and Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly, and most National Assembly members from Enugu State, among others.

After the Presidential Villa meeting, it was gathered  that the stakeholders rushed to the PDP National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza, for another round of meeting with members of the National Working Committee, NWC.

At the end of the meeting, which lasted for over five hours, PDP National Chairman was said to have called for a 50-50 harmonisation of offices from ward to local council and state levels in the state.

With this arrangement, the governor, Sullivan Chime who was also at the meeting, will produce 50 per cent of the officers, while Nwodo’s faction will also produce the other 50 per cent.

There was also a suggestion, after the leaders of the two factions have made their case, that the state exco be harmonized especially since the Abba-led executive committee is considered a “winning team” that should not be swept away through fresh congresses.

Another agreement reached at the meeting was the screening of all national Assembly aspirants which was to take place at the PDP national secretariat yesterday (Wednesday) as directed on Monday by the national leadership of the party should now take place in Enugu state as was the case with other state chapters of the party.

It was also agreed that all pending court cases instituted against the party by aggrieved members should be immediately withdrawn while steps should be taken to expeditiously work out details of the harmonization arrangement to immediate implementation.

The first session of the meeting which took off at about 1.00 pm yesterday, Wednesday ended at about 3.15 pm when Governor Chime, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and the embattled party chairman in the state, Engr. Vita Abba, left the national Secretariat of the party at 3.20pm, with plans to reconvene at 6 p.m and continue with the discussions, but at the time of this report, there was no sign of another meeting.

It would be recalled that the Enugu State PDP state Executive following a directory from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that it would not accept any nomination signed by Engr. Abba-led executive on the claim that the executive body was not validly elected.

But, the Engr. Abba led executive maintained its position that it was duly elected when he produced a documentary evidence that the former INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, actually observed their election along with his team.