An Abuja High Court has overturned the expulsion of Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the federal lawmaker representing Ideato North and South in the House of Representatives, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The lawmaker, who also serves as the spokesperson for the Coalition of Opposition Lawmakers, was previously announced as expelled by individuals allegedly loyal to the Samuel Anyanwu/Nyesom Wike faction of the PDP.
However, in a decisive ruling delivered by Justice Iheme, the court declared the purported expulsion as illegitimate, baseless, and a clear abuse of due process. The judge firmly stated that under the PDP’s constitution, only the National Executive Committee (NEC) has the authority to discipline a sitting member of the National Assembly. The court emphasized that in this case, both the PDP’s NEC and its national headquarters had unequivocally stated in their court submissions that Ikenga had neither been suspended nor expelled.
Justice Iheme’s ruling elaborated that the Ward Executive Committee of the PDP acted outside its jurisdiction by establishing a disciplinary panel against Ugochinyere, which is a clear violation of the party’s 2017 amended constitution. The judgment further pointed out that any actions taken by the ward-level committee regarding discipline of a National Assembly member were null and void from inception. It was declared that the so-called Expulsion Notice (Exhibit C) lacked legal grounding and did not meet constitutional requirements, rendering it invalid.
The judge also ruled that the issue of fair hearing did not even arise, as the entire disciplinary process was fundamentally flawed. Moreover, the court stressed that no injunction could be granted to validate the ward committee’s actions, as doing so would wrongfully confer on it powers that it does not possess.
In conclusion, the court affirmed that Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere remains a full member of the PDP and a serving member of the National Assembly. Each party in the case was directed to bear its own legal costs.