A serious dispute is now brewing between the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its Enugu State chapter over the alleged anointment of Mr Ikeje Asogwa as acting state chairman of the party in the state.

The state governor, Sullivan Chime had appointed the Managing Director of the Enugu State Housing Development Cooperation, ESHDC, Mr. Asogwa, as acting chairman of the party, following Abba’s resignation last week.

However, a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, shortly after a meeting of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party Thursday, rejected Asogwa and directed the state Deputy Chairman, Mr David Ajah to act in the capacity until a new chairman was elected in two weeks time.

It was said that the directive did not go down well with the state chapter of the PDP, which yesterday disagreed with the directive of its national leadership, insisting that Asogwa remained its acting chairman in Enugu.

A statement signed by the state Publicity Secretary of the party, Dr. Okey Eze, after an extraordinary meeting of the State Executive Committee, SEC, of the party in Enugu yesterday, stated that Asogwa’s appointment was in line with Article 24 (4) of the PDP Constitution, which stated that “an extra-ordinary meeting of the SEC shall be held if requested for, by two-thirds of the members.’’

Eze’s statement read in part: “Due to the resignation of Engineer Vita Abba from office as the Chairman of the PDP in Enugu State which enables him stand for election in the forthcoming party primaries in the state and in line with article 47 (6) of the PDP Constitution, which states that “where a vacancy occurs in any of the offices of the party, the Executive Committee at the appropriate level shall appoint another person from the area or zone where the officer originated from; pending the conduct of election to fill the vacancy, appointed Chief Ikeje Asogwa who is from the same zone with the former state party chairman as the new chairman of the party in the state, with immediate effect, pending the election of another chairman at a state Congress to be convened for that purpose.

“The party Chairman, Chief Ikeje Asogwa is charged, to take all necessary measures in his capacity as the chairman to oversee and ensure smooth and successful congresses and party primaries and victory for the party at all levels in the 2015 general elections.

“Those that attended the extra-Ordinary SEC meeting included the state Governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime, the Deputy Governor, Rev. Ralph Nwoye, the Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Eugene Odo, the former Senate President and member of PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Ken Nnamani, members of national assembly, a member of Board of Trustees, Rex Onyeabo, national and zonal officers of the party from the state, council chairmen and their deputies, local government party chairmen (and) state executives members of the party among others.”

Briefing newsmen at the end of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party, the National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh said that the party had asked the deputy chairmen in Delta and Enugu States to act as chairmen in their two states until new elections were held to elect new persons for the position in the two states.

Metuh further said that the NWC has asked Aja to immediately take over the affairs of the party in the state.

There had been earlier indications that Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State had lost out in the power struggle to appoint the state chairman of the party.

It was learnt that the party adopted Elder David Aja who was Abba’s deputy as acting chairman of the PDP in the state pending election of a substantive chairman.

Chime had Tuesday brought Mr. Asogwa to the national secretariat to introduce him to the party’s leadership, but the controversial manner of Asogwa’s emergence made the NWC reject Asogwa.

The serious dispute is now brewing between the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its Enugu State chapter over the alleged anointment of Mr Ikeje Asogwa as acting state chairman of the party in the state.

Chime had appointed the Managing Director of the Enugu State Housing Development Cooperation, ESHDC, Mr. Asogwa, as acting chairman of the party, following Abba’s resignation last week.