Abia PDP Dares NWC, Insists On The Suspension Of Wabara, BoT Chairman

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

Despite contrary tone from its National Headquarters ,the Abia State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, has remained adamant over the purported suspension of Senator Adolphus Wabara, the Board of Trustees Chairman.

The Abia PDP Chairman, Comrade Abraham Amah had, earlier on Tuesday February ,11, announced the suspension of the former Senate President from the party, citing gross anti-party activities as a major reason.

But in a swift response, the National body described the suspension order as holding no water as it was carried out without  due recourse to the extant laws and constitution of the party .

In a terse statement on Tuesday evening ,the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, maintained that the purported suspension of Wabara is  “null, void and of no effect whatsoever.”

According to him, the action is completely inconsistent with the party’s constitution, extant rules and regulations.

Ologunagba explained that going by the provisions of relevant sessions of the PDP Constitution, only the National Working Committee NWC has the power to take disciplinary actions against the BoT Chairman as well as members of the National Executive Council of the Party.

He noted that no State Working Committee, SWC, has the power to sanction a member of the NEC or a BoT member as done by the Abia State chapter of the PDP.

“The Party condemns the suspension as reckless and unconstitutional”, Ologunagba stated .

The PDP NWC ,therefore, urged the Abia state chapter to immediately retrace its steps, warning that appropriate disciplinary measures will be applied should it fail to reconsider the suspension order.

However, in a move seen as daring the NWC, the Abia PDP Chairman in a statement made available to this magazine on Wednesday, February, 12, 2025, insisted on the sanctity of the suspension order .

The Abia PDP reaffirmed that it followed all constitutionally recognized means in suspending the BoT Chairman.

It, therefore, maintained that its actions, cannot be wished away by a mere statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the party.

Following is the full text of the Abia PDP position on  the nullification of its suspension order on Wabara by the National Headquarters.

ABIA PDP STANDS BY THE SUSPENSION OF SENATOR ADOLPHUS WABARA

The Abia State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has noted the statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of our great Party, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, purportedly dismissing the suspension of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Adolphus Wabara.

We categorically state that the decision of the Abia State Executive Committee (SEC) to suspend Senator Wabara met every constitutional requirement of the Party and cannot be invalidated by a mere statement from the National Publicity Secretary, which is not a by-product of any official resolution of the National Working Committee (NWC).

For the avoidance of doubt, the Abia State PDP in taking this decision, relied on the provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017) as follows:

1. Section 58(1)(b) & (h) – This section provides that a member of the Party may be sanctioned for engaging in anti-party activities or any conduct likely to bring the Party into disrepute. The endorsement of a sitting governor from another political party, as done by Senator Wabara, clearly constitutes a violation of this provision.
2. Section 59(3) – This section explicitly states that the Board of Trustees is not immune from disciplinary actions where necessary. As such, the decision to sanction Senator Wabara is well within the powers of the Abia State PDP.
3. Section 59(4) – This provision affirms that the Party can take disciplinary actions against any member whose conduct contravenes the principles of the PDP, further reinforcing the legality of the SEC’s decision.
4. Section 57(6) – While the National Publicity Secretary referenced Section 57(7), he conveniently ignored Section 57(6), which provides that the power to take disciplinary action against any member is vested in the relevant executive committees at all levels of the Party, subject to due process. The Abia PDP has acted within this legal framework.

Furthermore, we affirm that only a competent court of law or the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP has the authority to overturn the decision of the Abia State Executive Committee. Until such a competent authority pronounces otherwise, the suspension of Senator Wabara remains in full effect.

We urge the National Publicity Secretary to exercise restraint and avoid issuing statements that lack constitutional basis or mislead the public. The PDP as a Party must uphold discipline and accountability at all levels, and no individual, regardless of position, is above the Constitution of the Party.

As a State Chapter, we shall not hesitate to seek appropriate judicial redress should any attempt be made to subvert the decision of the Abia PDP SEC through unconstitutional means.

Signed:

Elder Abraham Amah

Chairman, Abia State PDP

February 11, 2025