The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Friday expelled a former Governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani from the party over allegations of anti-party activities.
Nnamani, a serving senator seeking re-election to represent Enugu East Senatorial District, has been very vocal in his support for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu against the candidate of his party, Atiku Abubakar.
He intensified his campaign for Mr Tinubu after the PDP announced his suspension from the party as he called the bluff of the PDP national Working Committee, describing his suspension as a “nullity”.
Finally, the party resolved to expel him alongside seven other members of the party in Ekiti and Imo States. What makes the suspension significant is that some of them are candidates in the next election.
Going by the decision of the PDP, Mr Chimaroke and others are no longer members of the party.
However, Nnamani already challenged the legality of the action of the party by stating that in line with section 59 of the constitution of the party, only the National Executive Committee can decide on the matter, not the National Working Committee.
In a letter addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP, Iyorchia Ayu, Mr Nnamani said the decision of the party offends the procedure of disciplining a member of the National Assembly as provided by the PDP constitution.
Section 59 of the PDP constitution reads, “Notwithstanding any other provision of this Constitution relating to discipline, no Executive Committee at any level except the National Executive Committee shall entertain any question of discipline as may relate or concern a member of the National Executive Committee, President, Vice President, Governors, Deputy Governors, Ministers, Ambassadors, Special Advisers or member of any of the legislative houses.”
Since the presidential primary that produced Atiku as the candidate of the party, the PDP is facing an internal crisis as several governors named G5 governors, Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia have constantly opposed Atiku
