Wabara’s Suspension Can’t Be Invalidated By A Mere Statement From The National Publicity Secretary – Abia PDP Dares National Leadership

The Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has insisted that the Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Adolphus Wabara, remains suspended.

The Abia State chairman of the PDP, Abraham Amah, made the position known while reacting to the statement from the National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Debo Ologunagba, dismissing Wabara’s suspension.

According to Amah, the Abia State Executive Committee followed all constitutional requirements in suspending Wabara and the move is legally binding.

Naijaonpoint recalls that Wabara was suspended on Tuesday by the Abia State chapter of the party and barred from holding any party office.

The decision was reached after a State Executive Council (SEC) meeting presided over by the chairman, Amah Abraham.

The Abia State PDP accused Wabara of anti-party activities and failure to apologize despite being given the opportunity to do so. It noted that Wabara’s activities are unbecoming of a former senate president and chairman of the party’s BoT.

However, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP, described the purported suspension of the Board of Trustees (BoT), chairman, Adolphus Wabara, as null and void.

PDP, in a statement through its National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, said no State Working Committee has the power to suspend or take any disciplinary action against a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Party without due recourse to the NWC as provided under Section 57 (7) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017).

The PDP condemns the purported suspension of Senator Wabara as reckless, unconstitutional and cautions those behind the act to retrace their steps, as the NWC will not hesitate to take appropriate disciplinary actions to preserve the stability of our Party and the sanctity of its Constitution.

Reacting to Ologunagba’s statement, the Abia PDP Chairman said the National Publicity Secretary spoke in his personal capacity and not on behalf of the National Working Committee.

He, therefore insisted that Ologunagba’s position is not binding, adding that they won’t hesitate to go to court on the matter.

Amah added that based on the PDP constitution, Wabara’s position as the chairman of the party’s BoT doesn’t stop him from facing disciplinary actions when he does something wrong.

He said, “We categorically state that the decision of the Abia State Executive Committee (SEC) to suspend Senator Adolphus 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:

“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.

“Section 59(3) 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.

“Section 59(4) 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.

“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.”

Ologunagba Should Cam Down

Speaking further, the Abia PDP chairman added 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 State Executive Committee, and until then, Ologunagba should exercise restraint.

He said: “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 a constitutional basis, mislead the public, and ridicule the party. 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.”