Suspension of Ex-Senate President, Minister, Chime Others Laughable, Say APC Chieftains

Posted by Ignatius Okpara Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, Uncategorized Sunday, April 9th, 2023

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – As reactions continue to trail the recent Purported Suspension of Former Senate president, Chief Ken Nnamani, ex governor Sullivan Chime, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama and others by the Enugu state Chapter of the All progressive Congress APC, it’s Publicity Secretary, Charles- Solo Ako (Esq) and legal Adviser, Barr. Jerry Eneh, have dismissed the action, Saying it’s unconstitutional, laughable and of no effect.

The Embattled state chairman of the party, Ugochukwu Agballa, had last Wednesday announced the suspension and expulsion of some Chieftains of the party in the state.

Among them are, former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Barr. Eugene Udo, Director- General of Voice of Nigeria, (VON), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, a former Commissioner for culture and Tourism, Barr. Joe Mammal and Personal Assistant to Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Flavour Eze.

Addressing Newsmen Saturday in Enugu on the development, the Publicity Secretary, said the action, not only laughable but invalid and of no effect and urged members of the public to ignore the statement.

The Enugu APC Spokesman however, demanded for the sack of the state chairman, Agballa, for violating the party’s constitution.

According to him, members of wards of the affected party leaders had on April 6, this year reaffirmed their confidence in them, adding that the State Exco members did not at any time discuss such an issue before Agballa unilaterally announced it.

“We are surprised to hear that the state chairman has expelled them from our party. We totally condemn such acts taken by the State without recourse to their wards.

“We therefore exonerate ourselves from such unconstitutional action taken against our leaders whom all of us look up to”

Speaking also, the State Legal Adviser, Barr. Jerry Eneh, said that Agballa is ignorant of APC’s constitution that gave only the ward the right to suspend or sack members“.

“I am not aware of the expulsion and suspension of our political bigwigs. As far as I am concerned, and as the Legal Adviser to APC in the state, I am not aware of what happened and nobody sought my opinion” he stated

“Therefore, the action of the party state chairman in suspending/ expelling our political bigwigs is ultra-vires, illegal, null and void.

He insisted that “the suspension is of no effect. That is what I can say for now. All politics are local and it ought to have started from local to national

According to him, “They registered in APC in their various wards and the suspension and expulsion ought to have begun in their wards according to the constitution of our party”

Agballa, who recently joined APC from the PDP is currently facing several lawsuits filed by members of the party in the state, challenging his membership.