Jonathan, PDP govs intervene in Ebonyi crisis

Ebonyi State governor, Martin Elechi

President Goodluck Jonathan and some Peoples Democratic Party governors on Tuesday intervened in the crisis rocking the Ebonyi State chapter of the party.

The crisis has pitched Governor Martin Elechi against the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, and the Deputy Governor, Dave Umahi, who is also the PDP governorship candidate in the state.

The disagreements took a new turn last week when the state House of Assembly served a notice of impeachment on the governor.

Jonathan on Tuesday presided over a meeting on the matter. The meeting was attended by Vice President Namadi Sambo, Governors Godswill Akpabio, Akwa Ibom; Sule Lamido, Jigawa; Gabriel Suswam, Benue; Sullivan Chime, Enugu; Elechi; Umahi and Anyim.

The meeting, which lasted for over three hours however appeared to have failed to resolve the crisis as Elechi refused to speak with State House correspondents after leaving the President’s office.

“Please I am not here to answer your questions,” the governor, who walked briskly ahead of his deputy, said curtly to journalists who approached him.

When he noticed that our correspondent was recording him, Elechi raised his walking stick and threatened to break the recorder.

Suswam, who spoke to journalists, said the Ebonyi crisis was discussed at the meeting, adding that “we are almost at the solution to the problem.”

He said that despite Elechi’s behaviour to journalists, the governor did not storm out of the meeting.

“I don’t think he (Elechi) stormed out of the meeting. We ended the meeting properly. Yes, there are problems in Ebonyi,” the Benue governor added.

He said further that Jonathan also called the meeting as part of preparations for the general elections.

“We are going close to elections and so the President is trying to calibrate the party properly for victory; calibration of anything takes time. We are discussing issues of the party that can enhance our victory come March 28 and April 11,” he said.

Suswam said despite the challenges being faced by the party, the PDP would win the coming elections, saying nothing could stop the party from achieving victory.

“We are more than ever prepared to win this election and we are going to win it,” he declared.