CHUKWUDI ACHIFE, Enugu and JOHN SHIKLAM, Kaduna

Signs that all would not go well at the Protea Nike Resort Hotel Enugu, venue of the meeting showed early as rival supporters literally swamped the hotel premises with those loyal to the governor attempting to prevent their opponents from gaining entrance into the hall, where it was scheduled to hold.

Some reporters were also prevented from entering the hall. The reconciliation team leader, Prof. Jerry Gana, tried unsuccesfully to calm the rising tension between the two camps.

Suspended Chairman of Udi Local Government Council, Mr. Oscar Egwuonwu was manhandled alongside a former commissioner in the state, Mr Lucky Chukwu.

Even security agents were not spared as mobile policemen attached to both leaders engaged themselves in a bitter face off that almost resulted in a shoot-out. The problem ensued from a dispute over which camp would park its vehicles under the hotel’s covered shed. In the ensuing melee the Senate President’s men confisticated a gun belonging to an officer attached to the governor whom they suspected was about to pull the trigger.

The Governor’s men however moblised later and bundled an officer suspected to have snatched the gun into a vehicle and sped off.

Human and vehicular traffick was held up for more than ten mnutes in the ensuing face off with people scampering for safety, while both political leaders remianed trapped as their supporters exchanged heated words and booed themselves.

During the meeting, Governor Nnamani who had arrived earlier had told the reconciliation team that no problem existed in Enugu PDP and dwelt on the achievements of seven years of his administration. Emphasising that "leadership is sacred and ordained" the governor, also said, "it was due to his magnanimty that some people were tolerated in the gathering given their unruly behaviour.

H e said, "As we age we gain experience, the idealism of youth is tempered by the wisdom of advancing age. I said that idealism is tempered. I f not, there are people who would not even be close to this hotel this afternoon. For the fact that we have aged and with the age white hairs have come not just of the head but of the brain, the idealism of youth has been tempered".

Senator Fidelis Okoro, in his speech, said, the forum, did not provide a conducive atmosphere for reconciliation ading that he was aggrieved because among other things, his house was unjustifiably demolished and that many party stakeholders who made valuable contributions to the pary in the state have been chased out.

On his arrival, however, Senate President Ken Nnamani sought to counter the governor’s claim that peace reigned in the state branch of the party stressing that the problem had degenerated to the level where as Senate President, officials of the party in his constituency were afraid to visit him.

The Senate president maintained that what took place in the hall was a rally and not a peace parley adding that what he saw a rented crowd, which would have performed better, in a field. H e said, "I would like to suggest very strongly that matters cannot be resolved by shouting no matter how you see it. When you make some sweeping statements it does not solve matters , it shows that there is disagreement.Now any body who says that there is no problewm in Enugu state is joking".

However, the senate president was shouted down by the governor’s supporters who were singing "Ebeano, no shaking’ in praise of the governor.

But the Senate president replied "No shaking is for only a dead man in the mortuary.’ He attracted ovation from his camp. Earlier the leader of the reconciliation panel, Prof Gana had told the gathering that the purpose of heir mission was to find peace in the party.

Meanwhile, deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) South West, Chief Olabode George declared on Monday in Kaduna that the party is the only democratic party in Nigeria.

He also assured that the PDP will not impose any candidate on the people but will conduct free, fair credible and transparent primaries for the 2007 election.

Speaking in an interview with newsmen Chief George who is the leader of the PDP reconciliation committeeto in the North West Zone said the party is trying to convince those who are not card carrying members that it is the only democratic party in the country today.

He said "if the PDP was not a democratic party, it would not have allowed the debates and discussions on the constitutional amendment which sought a tenure extension for the president.

"We allowed the debate and discussions, it is our prerogative to take decisions on the issue. Those who are agitating, when I looked at those at the gallery who wanted to use that as an opportunity.., but we are real democrats. At the end of the day, nobody was molested or even harrassed.

"They were the ones harassing people through the media, sending unprintable things, text messages, calling even Mr president old bastard because you don’t agree with what is happening. And he never lost his vision, he never lost his cool, he did not allow security agents to haunt anybody. We have the number of those who sent the text messages, and he (the President) never sent SSS to run after them and that is the democrate in him, that is the statesman in him" the PDP chieftain stated.

Chief George said the party will have problems if it imposes candidates on the people saying that primary elections will be done openly this time around.

He said it is the desire of the party to reconcile and unite its members adding however that those who are not ready for reconciliation will not be forced to remain in the party.

Speaking earlier when the committee visited him,Kaduna state governor, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi said the reconciliation moves of the party is not aimed at bringing back individuals who left the party because they felt that their personal political aspiration was threatened within the party.

."Essentially, their movement was not because of anything to do with the constitutional ammendment but becasue of perceptions that probably, they stand no chance when they stand in primaries with others to get the nomination for any position," Makarfi stated

The governor noted that members of the party, rather than those in the opposition were responsible for the death of the constitutional amendment at the National

Assembly, attributing it to the democratic nature of the party.

"Some people have the erroneous belief that the constitutional amendment issue was stopped at the National Assembly because of the opposition. No. It was essentially due to voices within the party because the party is democratic.

"The party has the number to do what it wanted to do. But it does not go around with club or koboko, beating its members and insisting they do this or that.

"Enemies of democracy felt that when you descent, what you get next is punishment and started to spread word around that people were going to be victimized.

That is what is in their mind.

"Why do you have a National Assembly with so many members? It is because when bills are presented, they discuss and vote on them and it is passed into law. Hardly will you find a law that is passed unanimously.Those who voted for a particular move or voted against it, what do you call them? Do you call them traitors? They are all in the field of democracy and that is how democracy is built.

"We are having people confusing situations for selfish ends.Anybody who feels that the downfall of the PDP will benefit him is making a serious mistake and does not understand what he is talking about," Makarfi said.