Senator Chimaroke Nnamani was vindicated on Monday as a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja nullified his expulsion from the People’s Democratic Party.
Recall that the National Working Committee of the main opposition party under his immediate past National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu has expelled the Senator who represented Enugu East in the ninth Senate for alleged anti-party activities.
But Justice James Omotosho in his ruling held that the PDP national chairman lacked the powers to expel Senator Nnamani without recourse to a statutory organ of the party, the National Executive Committee which he noted was empowered by virtue of the Party Constitution to take disciplinary action on erring top members of the party.
The court which maintained that Ayu lacked the powers to expel Senator Nnamani also declared that the plaintiff was not given fair hearing.
It also held that the NWC cannot validly conduct a disciplinary hearing without according to the plaintiff’s fair hearing adding that “the NWC cannot validly conduct a hearing and reaching a valid decision of suspending or expelling the plaintiff from membership of the PDP”.
The court however noted that the NEC has the power after having given the plaintiff opportunity to be heard insisting “ the decision suspending the plaintiff is null and void . The decision expelling the plaintiff is nullified and set aside “.
The court gave an order restraining the PDP from acting upon the said invalid suspension and expulsion of the plaintiff.
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