Expulsion, Suspension of Chime, Nnamani, Others Unconstitutional, Says APC Spokesperson

Gideon Arinze in Enugu

Publicity Secretary of the All progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State, Charles Solo-Ako, has described as unconstitutional, the purported expulsion and suspension of some leaders of the party by the State Executive Council over alleged anti-party activities.

Secretary of the party in the state, Robert Ngwu, had last Thursday April 6th, announced the expulsion of a former governor of the state, Sullivan Chime; former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Eugene Odoh; Director General of Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu; former commissioner for Tourism, Ozor Joe Mmamel; Special Assistant to Foreign Affairs Minister, Flavour Eze and former House of Representatives candidate in 2019, Maduka Arum.

The secretary also announced the suspension of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama and former Senate President, Ken Nnamani from the party.
However, addressing newsmen yesterday, Solo-Ako said what the state chairman of the party, Ugochukwu Agballah, and the secretary, Ngwu, did was an ambush on the rest of the State Working Committee members of the APC in the state, adding that the announcement was a “reckless show of brigandage, an assault on the party’s constitution and an exercise in futility.”

He noted that the suspension and expulsion of leaders of the party were never discussed at the ward or state levels of the party until their sudden announcement.
According to him, “There was no petition from anybody against the leaders, nor were their different wards involved, either to have deliberated on such matter, apportioned any blame or referred any such matter to the state level of the party, contrary to the party’s constitution.”
He said it was unfortunate that Agballah, arrogated to himself, the sole administrator of the APC in the state and chose to fight against individuals, who had been working to ensure that the party gained acceptance among the people.

“The state executive members of the party who raised objection at such sudden decision were cajoled,” he said, adding: “The state working committee members were invited as spectators and no committee was set up to investigate the matter.”
Speaking further, he said, “There are levels of anti-party activities. When a state chairman dispersed members, who are supposed to canvass for votes for the party and the chairman refused for the party to fill candidates that can win election in places such as Nkanu East and Nkanu west, what other form of anti-party can be worse than these?”

He also accused Agballah of rigging against the APC and in favour of the other parties in the last general election as well as failing to deliver more votes to the presidential candidate of the party, Bola Tinubu, as he promised.