Post-poll crisis: Enugu APC expels Chime, suspends Nnamani

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Post-poll crisis: Enugu APC expels Chime, suspends Nnamani

The Enugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Thursday expelled a former governor of the state, Sullivan Chime and a former speaker of the state assembly between 2007 and 2015, Eugene Odoh and other stalwarts.

The development is coming on the heels of the sacking of the Bauchi State chairman of the APC by a high court in the state.

The party in Enugu State suspended a former President of the Senate, Ken Nnamani.

The state Executive Committee ratified the expulsion on Thursday, after adopting the recommendations of a five-man disciplinary committee that was set up earlier this year to look into petitions and reports of fact-finding committees that investigated allegations of anti-party activities against some members of the party.

The party also suspended the former Senate President, Ken Nnamani and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Onyeama from the party for allegedly undermining the party and its activities in the state.

The state Secretary of the party, Dr Robert Ngwu, who read the resolution of the party to journalists, regretted that their anti-party activities could also lead to a loss of support from voters and donors, which he said can harm the party’s ability to compete in elections and implement its policies.

He said, “The party is fully aware of the nefarious activities of the previous administration of the party in the 2015 and 2019 general elections. With that in mind, the party reviewed various petitions and reports from the fact-finding committee and the disciplinary committee against some individuals.

“They are Senator Ken Nnamani, Barrister Sullivan Chime, Geoffrey Onyeama, Eugene Odoh, Mr Osita Okechukwu and others from their different local government areas. The petitions bordered on anti-party activities and other offences against the APC Constitution.”

“Apart from Sen. Ken Nnamani, Barr. Sullivan Chime, Hon Geoffrey Onyeama, the party has also received petitions against Ozor Joe Mmamel and Mr Maduka Arum aka Mama from Ezeagu Local Government Area and Enugu South Local Government Area, respectively, all bordering on anti-party (acts).’’

In Bauchi, the crisis rocking the state APC has further degenerated as a High Court sitting in the state restrained Babayo Misau from parading himself as a member or the chairman of the party on Thursday.

This followed suit number: BA/73/2023 filed by Alhaji Al-Mustapha Zubairu at the Bauchi State High Court.

The presiding judge, Justice Lamido Umar, granted the prayers of the plaintiff against Misau and the APC, respectively.

He said partly, “That an order of Interim Injunction is and is hereby made restraining the 1st defendant/respondent (Babayo Misau) from further parading himself as a member of the 2nd defendant/respondent (APC) or the chairman of the 2nd defendant/respondent, pending the determination of the motion on notice.’’

Before the court order, Misau had been expelled from the party by the Kukadi/Gundari ward executives in the Misau Local Government Area of the state for alleged anti-party activities during the March 18 governorship election.

Governor Bala Mohammed was re-elected for a second term in office having won in 15 out of the 20 local government areas in the state with 528,280 votes to defeat his closest rival, Sadique Abubakar of the APC, who won in five LGAs with 432,272 votes.

The Ward Secretary, Aliyu Adamu, had told journalists on Tuesday that the leadership took the decision in order to save the party and instil discipline among members of the party in the LGA and the state in general.

But Misau dismissed his purported expulsion, describing it as ineffective because it was not done in accordance with the established procedures, guidelines and constitution of the APC.