Court nullifies ex-governor Nnamani’s expulsion from PDP

A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, nullified the expulsion of former Governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over alleged anti-party activities.

Justice James Omotosho, in a judgement, held that Nnamani was not given a fair hearing in accordance with the PDP’s constitution.

Justice Omotosho said that going by the Article 57 of the Constitution of the PDP, it was only the National Executive Council (NEC) that can convene a disciplinary committee as against the National Working Committee (NWC), which took the decision.

The judge said that the constitution of the party stipulated that it was the NEC that was vested with the power to take disciplinary action against any erring member who is a governor, deputy governor and a serving member of the National Assembly.

Nnamani, who represented Enugu East Senatorial District in the 9th Senate, lost his re-election bid to a Labour Party candidate, Kelvin Chukwu, in the Feb. 25 poll.

The PDP NWC, at its 566th meeting, had expelled the former senator on Feb. 10 for allegations bordering on anti-party activities.
He was initially suspended on Jan. 20 before he was subsequently expelled.

Nnamani was alleged to have campaigned for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Bola Tinubu, against the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

But Nnamani, in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/163/23 filed on Feb. 6, had sued the INEC, PDP national chairman and the NWC as 1st to 3rd respondents over alleged breach of his fundamental rights to a fair hearing.

NAN/N.O