Plans to suspend me by Ebonyi APC mockery of party guidelines ― Ex-RMAFC Chairman

The former chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and factional governorship candidate for the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Ebonyi State, Chief Elias Mbam has described as mockery the plans by the State working committee of APC to suspend him in connection of party gubernatorial primaries held last week.

According to Mbam, from the provisions of the APC Constitution, the wards, local government areas and state executives of the party have no powers to look into disciplinary complaints arising from the APC gubernatorial primary election which took place at the state level.

Mbam disclosed this in a statement signed and made available to journalists through his Chief Press Secretary Obinna Udenwe on Monday.

Mbam then noted that the planned actions of the state government through Party will not stand and they know it. He however call on Ebonyi people, APC faithful and his teeming supporters to ignore the latest move to suspend him.

The statement reads “We have heard plans being orchestrated by the state government and the State APC Chairman, Stanley Okoro Emegha to suspend Engr. Elias Mbam, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the just concluded APC gubernatorial primary in Ebonyi State.

“This is not only ridiculous but beats every known rules and guidelines as contained in the APC constitution, as amended.

“After the APC primary of Thursday 26th May 2022, the Governor and the Chairman had a meeting in the evening and concluded plans to suspend Engr. Elias Mbam.

“This we thought was mere rumour until Sunday, 29th May when there was an announcement on local radio by one Mr. Unachi Christopher inviting Engr. Mbam to a meeting at his ward by 8am of Monday 30th, knowing that it was impossible for Engr. Mbam who is in Abuja to return to Ebonyi before 8am.

“This Issue has become a subject of a pending court case and the principal actor Mr. Christopher Unachi was duly served with the court processes today, Monday 30th May 2022, by the bailiff of the Ebonyi State High Court.

“State government using his aides to summon Engr. Elias Mbam for a disciplinary procedure in Ebonyi State in connection with the APC Gubernatorial primary election is a mockery of the APC guidelines for primary elections and also an abuse of the powers conferred on the appropriate organs of the party at various levels under the extant APC Constitution.

Mbam further sighted the Constitution, saying, “For instance, Article 21.3 (vi) (a) of the APC Constitution (As Amended March 26th, 2022) provides that “The Ward Executive shall be the adjudicatory body of first instance over complaints or allegation from the Polling Unit level.”, while Article 21.3 (vi) (d) of the APC Constitution (As Amended March 26th, 2022) provides that “The Zonal Committee shall be the adjudicatory body of first instance over complaints or allegations from the State chapter of the zone.”

When contacted the APC State Chairman, Chief Stanley Okoro-Emegha noted that the ex RMAFC has been suspended from the party with a fine of two billon Naira for deviating from party decision.

In his words, “The ward has already suspended him. We are going to expel him from the party and sue him to pay a fine of two billion naira for going against party’s decision by conducting a parallel congress”

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