By Suleiman Anyalewechi
The smearing leadership crisis rocking the South East zone of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, once again, came to the front burner with a Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State affirming the expulsion of Chief Ali Odefa, the zonal Vice chairman.
The Source reports that the Oguduokwor Ward leadership of the PDP in Ebonyi State had on December 12 ,2025 voted to expel Odefa as a member of the party .
The expulsion was preceded about two months earlier by a suspension order.
The Zonal Vice Chairman’s expulsion order was a direct and immediate fall out from the ruling of an Ebonyi State High Court affirming his earlier suspension from the party.
The Court, in addition to affirming his suspension ordered Chief Odefa to pay the sum of N 100 million in damages to the Oguduokwor ward Executives whom he had accused of forgery during the process of his suspension.
The expulsion order in December, 2024, instantly drew the ire of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the Party which subsequently declared the efforts of the Oguduokwor Ward Executives a nullity.
In a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP NWC said that going by the party’s constitution and other extant laws, Ward and State Executives lack the requisite powers to impose any disciplinary actions on National Executive Council NEC,and Board of Trustees BoT members of the party .
According to him, such categories of party officials can only be disciplined by the NWC in line with extant rules and laws .
But in a verdict delivered on Wednesday, trial Judge, Justice Hilary Oshomah, affirmed the expulsion of Odefa by his Ward Executives as valid and constitutional.
The Court, also, maintained that the ward leadership of the party, in carrying out the expulsion exercise, followed due processes.
The Party Executives had argued that Odefa’s expulsion followed the recommendations of a validly constituted disciplinary committee which found him guilty of anti-party activities.
Although as at the time of reporting, the leadership of the PDP, both at the State, Regional, and National levels were yet to react to the latest court judgment, indications are rife the NWC in particular will be rejecting the development.
There are strong indications that the melodrama playing out in Odefa’s travails has the imprimatur of some forces loyal to the Federal Capital Territory FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
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