Politics
APC moves to expel ex-Senate President Ken Nnamani for anti party
Former Senate President, Ken Nnamani and two other members of the party risk expulsion from the All Progressives Congress (APC) for anti party.
Nnamani and two other stakeholders of the party will however face a five man disciplinary Committee to look into petitions and reports of fact-finding committees that investigated allegations of anti-party activities levied against them.
The Disciplinary Committee headed by the State Assistant Legal Adviser, Barr. Vincent Chieyina and secretary, Hon Jekwu Nnaji is to invite Senator Nnamani and two others, including a former Commissioner in Enugu State, Ozor Joe Mmamel and Mr. Nelson Maduka Arum; to answer charges against them.
The party also announced the banning of Independent Presidential Campaign Council in the state, alleging that the group led by Ken Nnamani and Ben Nwoye were being used to campaign for the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) in the state.
The State Secretary of the party, Hon. Robert Ngwu, PhD, who presented the resolution of the state executive committee (SEC) after their meeting, at the party’s zonal office Enugu, said the party would not hesitate to expel or suspend Senator Nnamani, Ozor Mmamel and Arum, if found culpable and depending on the recommendations of the Disciplinary Committee.
Ngwu 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 Committees against Sen. Ken Nnamani, Ozor Joe Mmamel, and Mr Maduka Arum, AKA Mama, from their different local government areas. The petition bothered anti-party activities and other offences against the APC Constitution and the Electoral Act of 2022.
“Sen. Ken Nnamani was accused of campaigning openly for the candidacy of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at a rally held at the Michael Okpara Square Enugu on January 20th 2023.
“Sen. Nnamani was represented by Ben Nwoye, an expelled former Chairman of Enugu state APC who has been working against the candidate of APC (Chief Uche Nnaji), and Mr Maduka Arum, AKA Mama, an acolyte and head of Ken Nnamani Political group.
“Ken Nnamani has had a history of Anti-party activities. He joined APC from PDP some years ago and has consistently campaigned against APC candidates, including Sen. Ayogu Eze, in 2019. The Party could not bring him to order because the Party then had no moral authority under the leadership of Mr Ben Nwonye.”
The Enugu SEC alleged that on January 11th 2023, Sen Nnamani did everything to sabotage the APC massively attended presidential rally and tried to bring masquerade, which was an apparent contradiction of the Electoral Act, which he took credit for crafting.
“The Electoral Act in Section 92 (4) stipulates that no candidate or aspirant should employ masquerades for any purpose during the campaign. On record, Ken Nnamani brought masquerade to the airport and ordered them to go to the rally. Thank God for the diligence of our Youth Wing, who ensured that Ken Nnamani’s branded masquerade did not make it to the campaign event. That action would have sabotaged and put our presidential candidate in legal jeopardy,” the party noted.
The SEC stated that apart from Sen. Ken Nnamani 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 bothering on anti-party.
“The State Executive Committee of the Party has therefore forwarded all the petitions, and the fact-finding reports to the State Disciplinary Committee for investigation and recommendation of appropriate sanctions.
“The Party will not hesitate to suspend or expel the accused, if found guilty by the Disciplinary Committee.”
When the State Chairman, Barr Ugochukwu Agballah put the SEC resolution to voice vote it received a resounding yes with no dissenting voice.
Agballah charged the disciplinary Committee to follow the established law of natural justice by giving the accused persons fair hearing.
The state chairman banned the group known as Independent Presidential Campaign Council in the state, noting that no group should be deceiving itself that it is campaigning for the Presidential and vice presidential candidates of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima, while while campaigning against other candidates of the party in the state.
The party noted that a petition was also written against Mr Ben Nwoye and Comrade AC Ude, but however, the duo were already expelled since 2022 and that since they are no longer members of the APC, the petitions against them were rendered sine die.
The resolution of the party further states, “2023 General Election is 30 days from today. Under normal circumstances, we would ignore recent activities from some of our misguided members. However, anti-party is a terminal sin against any political party, so the State Executive Committee of APC believes it is imperative to tackle this matter head-on.
“Anti-party activities refer to actions or attitudes that go against the goals and principles of a political party. These activities can harm the Party’s reputation and effectiveness and may lead to internal divisions and conflicts.
“Additionally, suppose individuals within a party engage in anti-party activities. In that case, it can erode trust and unity among party members and make it difficult for the Party to achieve its goals. In a democratic system, a political party plays a vital role in representing the voices and interests of its supporters and competing for power within the government.
“When anti-party activities occur, it can undermine the ability of the Party to fulfil that role and harm the functioning of the democratic system as a whole.
“Anti-party activities can also lead to a loss of support from voters and donors, which can harm the Party’s ability to compete in elections and implement its policies. In some cases, anti-party activities may even lead to the expulsion of party members or the formation of splinter groups, which can further weaken the Party and make it less effective.”
The party said that it was due to Sen Nnamani’s ambivalent political nature that no delegate agreed to vote for him when he contested for Deputy National Chairman, scoring only one vote.
“Likewise, when he contested for the presidency at last year’s APC convention, he scored zero votes. Even the delegates he nominated refused to vote for him, saying that voting for him was the same as voting for PDP.”
The party alleged that for the past years, Ken Nnamani had been the sole nominator of councillorship slots and Local Government Area chairmanship slots in Enugu South Local Government Area, his Local Government Area of Origin, and that he single-handedly decided who was given nomination within PDP in Enugu South LGA.
“His comprador Political activities have so compromised him that he is no longer able to campaign for Ahmed Bola Tinubu, our Presidential candidate.
“Last four years, Ken Nnamani led APC to a disastrous outing where they garnered only 2% of the total vote cast because he and his fellow conspirators pocked all the campaign funds, divided it amongst themselves, and gave no dime to the ward.
“Ken Nnamani has a history of political betrayals. In 1991 he betrayed SDP. While in SDP, he was campaigning for the NRC governorship candidate of Joe Nwodo. In 1999 he was the closest confidant of the APP governorship candidate, yet he betrayed the then APP governorship candidate for Chimaroke’s PDP, which made them give him their senatorial ticket a day after the governorship election of January 10th 1999. This was the reason why PDP members voted against him and voted for Uche Nnaji, who moved over to AD in 1999.
“If not for Obasanjo’s Maurice Iwu’s electoral heist of 2003, Ken Nnamani has never won a freely contested election apart from the 2003 Obasanjo/ Maurice Iwu massively rigged election where he was awarded victory against the rightful winner of that election.
“The 2019 general election, Ken Nnamani would only garner seven votes after pocketing the entire campaign funds,” the party alleged. Ends
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld a Federal High Court judgment restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising state congresses conducted by committees appointed by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a split decision of two to one, the three-member panel affirmed the earlier ruling of the Federal High Court, holding that the congresses organised under the caretaker committee violated an existing court order.
Justice Okon Abang, who delivered the lead judgment, ruled that there was no basis to set aside the restraining order issued by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on April 29.
The appellate court also upheld the lower court’s decision barring the caretaker leadership from interfering with the functions and tenure of the party’s duly elected state executive committees.
According to the court, the ADC Constitution vests the responsibility for conducting state congresses in the elected state executive committees, not the national caretaker leadership.
Justice Donatus Okorowo concurred with the lead judgment, while Justice Abba Mohammed dissented, arguing that the matter was an internal affair of the political party and therefore outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
The suit was filed by aggrieved members of the ADC, who challenged the legality of committees established by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership to conduct state congresses. They argued that the appointments breached the party’s constitution, insisting that only duly elected party organs had the authority to organise state congresses.
In its earlier ruling, the Federal High Court held that the four-year tenure of the ADC’s State Working Committees and State Executive Committees remained valid until fresh congresses and a national convention were properly conducted.
Justice Abdulmalik further ruled that neither the 1999 Constitution nor the ADC Constitution empowered the caretaker committee to appoint committees to conduct state congresses.
While noting that courts generally refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of political parties, the judge held that judicial intervention is justified where constitutional or statutory provisions are alleged to have been breached.
Affirming the lower court’s decision, the Court of Appeal declared the state congresses and national convention conducted by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership null and void for being carried out in defiance of an existing court order.
The appellate court stressed that once a dispute raises constitutional issues, it ceases to be merely an internal party matter and becomes subject to judicial review.
Consequently, the court dismissed the ADC’s appeal, upheld all the orders of the Federal High Court, and awarded ₦10 million in costs against the party.
By Chinedu Sabastine
A pro-Yoruba women group, operating under the banner of Yoruba Women in Politics (YWIP), has applauded the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Benjamin Obi Nwoye, for strengthening the party across the Southern part of Nigeria barely three months he assumed office.
They said: “Dr. Benjamin Obi Nwoye is a very honest and open person. He has done considerably well,” the group said.
He was also praised for displaying high democratic ideals and delivering electoral victories for the ruling party in Southern Nigeria.
Chairperson of the women group Mrs. Dorothy Akinyele, in a statement issued in Akure, the Ondo state capital on Saturday applauded Nwoye “for his loyalty, strength of character, and consistency of purpose to the cause of democracy.”
They expressed delight and satisfaction “with the high degree of determination so far exhibited by Nwoye to applying the principle of fair play in treating all party members and asserting independence and neutrality in most cases.”
The highly revered South West women body also commended Nwoye “for deepening the party’s structures in the South-west, South-South and South-East, empowering women and youth and building a stronger APC and a more inclusive future for Nigeria.”
In particular, the women lauded Nwoye “for mobilizing support for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election, preserving the progressive ideals upon which the APC was built and curtailing the abuse of democratic norms in the ruling party.”
According to them, “Dr. Benjamin Obi Nwoye is level headed, has milk of human kindness flowing in his veins and committed to the success of President Tinubu and the party in 2027 and beyond,” YWIP said.
It therefore, described Dr. Nwoye as “the influential exponent of national unity,” extolling him for ensuring a smooth internal
Democratic process in his home state Enugu, the coal city state.
The Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has dismissed a public debate challenge from the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, saying the minister must first become a presidential candidate before seeking such an engagement.
Obi made the remark during an interview with media entrepreneur Chude Jideonwo, where he responded to Umahi’s challenge following his criticism of the condition of Nigerian road.
The former Anambra State governor argued that presidential debates are reserved for candidates seeking the nation’s highest office, insisting that Umahi does not fit that category.
According to Obi, the controversy over the poor state of the roads had already produced results, noting that his criticism prompted repairs.
“If he is inviting me to a debate as a presidential candidate, then he has to become a presidential candidate first,” Obi said.
Drawing an analogy with international football, the NDC presidential flagbearer likened Umahi’s challenge to a team that failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup inviting a qualified team to a match.“The World Cup is going on now. You cannot stay outside and invite a team that qualified for the World Cup to come and play against you simply because you think you are good. No. There is a qualification process,” he added.
Obi maintained that leadership should be measured by performance rather than rhetoric, suggesting that the repairs carried out after his criticism underscored the importance of holding public officials accountable.
His response comes days after Umahi declared that Obi posed no political threat to President Bola Tinubu or the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while challenging him to a public debate over the state of federal roads and infrastructure across the country.
Ada Ogbu, who made the clarification in a statement posted on her official X account on Saturday, was responding to Keyamo’s ultimatum demanding that Obi apologise to airport officials, pay a ₦25,000 parking fine or face action by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).Executive Branch
Ogbu, who described herself as an eyewitness, maintained that she was among those who accompanied Obi to the airport on Saturday, July 4, and categorically denied the minister’s claim that the politician was driven by a police officer.
“As a member of the team that accompanied His Excellency @PeterObi to the Abuja airport on Saturday, July 4, I can state categorically that he does not have a police officer as his driver in Abuja. Therefore, if airport CCTV captured a police officer entering the driver’s seat of a vehicle, that vehicle could not have been Mr. Obi’s,” she stated.
She further argued that the incident highlighted by Keyamo was different from the one Obi narrated during his interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo.
According to her, Obi’s frequent travels across the country have exposed him and his aides to repeated hostile treatment by airport personnel.Government
“It is also important to note that Mr. Obi travels through as many as ten Nigerian airports every week. Over time, there have been several acts of hostility directed at him and members of his team by airport personnel across different locations,” Ogbu said.
She concluded that the aviation minister had referenced an entirely separate incident.
“Based on the account shared by the Honourable Minister, it is clear that the incident Mr. Obi referenced during his interview with @Chude did not occur on the date or at the airport cited by the Minister. They are plainly two different incidents.”
Her reaction comes hours after Keyamo released CCTV-based findings from an internal inquiry into the airport incident, insisting Obi must publicly apologise to airport workers and pay the prescribed parking fine within one week or risk further action by FAAN.
President Bola Tinubu on Friday formally retained Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
This was as political parties made last-minute moves to beat the Independent National Electoral Commission’s deadline for the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates.
The ruling All Progressives Congress presented the nomination forms of Tinubu and Shettima to its National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, in Abuja for onward transmission to INEC, effectively ending months of speculation that the President could replace his deputy with a northern Christian.
The development came as INEC confirmed that it had received the presidential and vice-presidential nominations of the African Democratic Congress, Nigeria Democratic Congress, Social Democratic Party, Action Alliance, African Action Congress, Peoples Redemption Party and Young Progressives Party.
Meanwhile, several other political parties continued uploading the names of their candidates ahead of the commission’s Saturday midnight deadline.
The electoral commission had fixed July 11, 2026, as the deadline for political parties to upload the nomination forms of their presidential and National Assembly candidates through its online nomination portal in accordance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The submission exercise, which commenced on June 27, covers Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E for presidential, vice-presidential, Senate and House of Representatives candidates.
According to the timetable released by the commission, political parties are expected to begin uploading the names of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates from July 18, with the exercise ending on August 8.
INEC is scheduled to publish the personal particulars of presidential and National Assembly candidates on August 1, while those of governorship and state assembly candidates will be displayed on August 29 to allow members of the public raise objections where necessary.
The commission also fixed August 22 as the deadline for the withdrawal and substitution of presidential and National Assembly candidates, while governorship and state assembly candidates have until September 19 for withdrawal or replacement in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The July 11 deadline marks one of the most critical stages in the build-up to the 2027 general elections, as only candidates validly nominated by political parties through primaries monitored by INEC are eligible for submission.
The commission had repeatedly warned political parties against submitting the names of candidates different from those who emerged from duly monitored primaries, insisting that any nomination outside the provisions of the Electoral Act and its regulations would be rejected.
Against this backdrop, the APC used Friday’s presentation ceremony to publicly affirm its presidential ticket, signalling that it would head into the 2027 contest without altering the Muslim-Muslim ticket that secured victory in the 2023 presidential election.
Following President Tinubu’s emergence as the APC’s presidential candidate during the party’s convention, political discussions had intensified over whether the President would retain Shettima or opt for another running mate to broaden the party’s electoral appeal.
Those speculations gathered momentum in recent months amid reports that the ruling party was considering a northern Christian as vice-presidential candidate to address concerns over religious balancing.
Friday’s submission, however, ended the uncertainty, with the APC formally presenting Tinubu and Shettima as its flag bearers for the 2027 election.
The nomination documents were presented on behalf of the President by his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Ibrahim Masari, during a ceremony attended by members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, the National Assembly, the Federal Executive Council, the APC National Working Committee, state chairmen of the party and APC governorship candidates.
Earlier, the APC National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, described the event as the formal presentation of the duly completed nomination forms of the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
Argungu noted that President Tinubu had earlier secured the party’s presidential ticket through what he described as a transparent primary election, and urged party members to remain united ahead of the 2027 polls.
He also commended the President for what he described as the achievements of his administration before formally handing over the nomination documents to the APC National Chairman for onward submission to INEC.
Speaking on behalf of APC governors, Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, reaffirmed the governors’ support for President Tinubu and the party leadership.
“We are delighted that this event is coming after a well-organised and thoroughly supervised primary process. We reiterate our commitment to continue supporting President Tinubu and the party,” he said.
Uzodimma said the APC remained committed to internal democracy and inclusiveness, adding that the governors would continue mobilising support for the President across the country.
“We will continue to support him in the larger interest of Nigerians and to take the country to greater heights. To the National Working Committee, we reaffirm our support. Together, we are going to deliver victory for President Tinubu and ensure the party wins all elective positions, including the National and State Assemblies,” he added.
Receiving the nomination forms, APC National Chairman, Prof. Yilwatda, described the event as a reflection of the confidence reposed in President Tinubu by millions of party members across the country.
According to him, the President’s endorsement by members of the party demonstrated widespread support for his administration and its policies.
He stated, “Today is a reflection of the wishes of over 12 million members of the APC who overwhelmingly voted for Mr. President as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election. We are proud that APC members across the country cast over 12 million votes for Mr. President and overwhelmingly endorsed him.
-
News4 days agoUS based Catholic Priest commits suicide to avoid being sent back to Nigeria
-
Politics4 days ago
2027: Shettima retained as running mate as parties race to meet INEC deadline
-
Crime5 days ago56 days in captivity: How the Oyo school children were rescued
-
Foreign5 days agoIsrael Exposes Plot to assassinate Donald Trump
-
News5 days agoBREAKING: Kidnapped Oyo pupils, teachers regain freedom
-
News2 days agoAlleged Certificate Forgery: Ex-Minister Uche Nnaji Pleads Not Guilty, Gets ₦20m Bail
-
Politics4 days ago
Keyamo’s Lies Exposed As Eyewitness Faults Claims Against Obi
-
Crime4 days agoAnambara Underworld: 25 Years After Onitsha was liberated from Deri Nwamama