The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State, has expelled a former governor of the state, Sullivan Chime, and the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu for alleged anti-party activities.
The party has also suspended a former president of the Senate, Ken Nnamani and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama.
The party had set up a five-man disciplinary Committee to look into petitions and reports of fact-finding committees that investigated allegations of anti-party activities leveled against members of the party in the state after which the State Executive Committee (SEC) forwarded all the petitions and fact-finding reports to the State Disciplinary Committee for investigation and recommendation of appropriate sanctions.
Rising from the State Executive Council meeting at the zonal secretariat of the party in Enugu on Thursday, secretary of the party in the state, Robert Ngwu said the extended SEC, including the Local Government Chairmen and LGA Secretaries of the Party had ratified the recommendation of the Disciplinary Committee and unanimously moved for the immediate expulsion and suspension of erring members.
Ugwu announced that Chime openly supported candidates from rival parties, made derogatory statements about the party’s leadership and actively worked against the party’s interest during the 2023 general election, hence the decision to expel him from the party in line with its constitution.
On Okechukwu’s expulsion, Ugwu said, “He made statements that were in direct contravention of the party’s policies and ideology and based on the evidence gathered, it was clear that Mr. Osita Okechukwu engaged in activities that were detrimental to the party’s interests,”.
He said that Nnamani was suspended because he has a history of anti-party activities as he has consistently campaigned against APC candidates, including the governorship candidate of the party and other candidates during the last general election.
“The various decisions we reached at the extended SEC have been transmitted to the southeast zonal executive committee for onward transmission to the National Executive Committee,” he said.
In his address, state chairman of the party, Ugochukwu Agballah, said as individuals, Nnamani and others had the right to choose who they want to support but for being members of the party, they were held by its constitution, hence they must be punished for violating the laws.
Also expelled from the party is a former Speaker of Enugu House of Assembly, Eugene Odoh, Ozor Joe Mammel and Maduka Arum, who was the House of Representatives candidate of the party in 2019 for Enugu North.
Gideon Arinze in Enugu
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