Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
The Abakaliki Division of the Ebonyi State Magistrate Court has remanded four persons in prison custody for alleged cultism, forgery and impersonation.
One of those remanded is Mr Augustine Nwazunku, a former Acting State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Partyv(PDP).
They were also accused of engaging in cultism and illegal suspension of the South-East National Vice Chairman of (PDP), Ali Odefa, from the party.
Three of the accused persons had last week held a press conference where they announced themselves as executives of Ogudu-Okwor ward in Oshiri.
Mr Odefa, who hails from the ward had maintained that the alleged suspension was null and void as those who issued it were not ward executives of the party.
They were later arrested alongside Mr Nwazunku during the week and charged to court on Tuesday.
According to court records, three of the suspects Obinna Nwachukwu, Njoku Nwagwu, Ogbonnaya Idika were accused of forging a letter purported to have emanated from PDP executives of Ogudu-Okwor ward in Oshiri claiming that the party has suspended the South-East National Vice Chairman of the party, Chief Ali Odefa.
The suspects were also alleged to have belonged to a proscribed secret cult group known as Vikings Confraternity thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 3 (1) (3) of the Ebonyi State Law Prohibiting Secret Cult activities and carrying of offensive weapons and punishable under Section 5 of the same Law.
The charges read: “that you Obinna Nwachukwu ‘m’, Njoku Nwagwu ‘m’, Ogbonnaya Idika ‘m’, Augustine Aliugbala N. ‘m’ and others at large on the 2nd October, 2024 at Ogudu-Okwor Onicha in the aforementioned Magisterial District did conspire with one another to commit felony to wit: cultism, forgery, impersonation, conduct likely to cause breach of peace and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 516 A (a) of the Criminal Code Laws of Ebonyi State.”
“That you Obinna Nwachukwu ‘m’, Njoku Nwagwu ‘m’, Ogbonnaya Idika ‘m’, Augustine Aliugbala N. ‘m’ and others at large on the same date, place and in the aforementioned Magisterial District, forged a letter purporting to emanate from PDP executives of Ogudu-Okwor ward in Oshiri with intent that it may be in any way used or acted upon as genuine when you know that the said letter was false and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 467 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ebonyi state.”
“That you Obinna Nwachukwu ‘m’, Njoku Nwagwu ‘m’, Ogbonnaya Idika ‘m’, Augustine Aliugbala N. ‘m’ and others at large on the 2nd October, 2024 at Ogudu-Okwor Onicha in the aforementioned Magisterial District did belong to a secret cult group known as Vikings confraternity, a proscribed group and thereby committed an offence contrary To Section 3 (1) (3) of the Ebonyi State Law Prohibiting Secret Cult activities and carrying of offensive weapons and punishable under Section 5 of the same Law.
“That you Obinna Nwachukwu ‘m’, Njoku Nwagwu ‘m’, Ogbonnaya Idika ‘m’, Augustine Aliugbala N. ‘m’ and others at large on the same date, place and in the aforementioned Magisterial District conduct yourselves in a manner likely to cause the breach of peace by causing disaffection among the PDP executives of Ogudu-Okwor ward executives of the party claiming that the party has suspended Chief Ali Odefa, PDP National Vice Chairman South East zone from the party and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 247 (d) of the Criminal Code Laws of Ebonyi State.”
“That you Obinna Nwachukwu ‘m’, Njoku Nwagwu ‘m’, Ogbonnaya Idika ‘m’, Augustine Aliugbala N. ‘m’ and others at large on the same date, place and in the aforementioned Magisterial District with intent to defraud, falsely represented yourselves as the executive of PDP Ogudu-Okwor ward and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 484 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ebonyi State.”
The trial Magistrate, Ojemba Isu-Oko refused bail application of the Counsel to the Defendants, U. A Obasi and ordered that the four suspects should be remanded in prison custody till November 18, 2024.
PDP reacts
Meanwhile, Mr Ali Odefa has been accused of masterminding the arrest, prosecution and remand of the suspects.
Odefa was allegedly suspended last week by the executive members of the party in his ward for alleged anti party activities
But the National Vice Chairman who described the suspension as null and void, reportedly petitioned the police who arrested some of the leaders of the party in the ward.
A statement by one Herbert Ovuta, who calmed to be the Acting Chairman of PDP in the ward, alleged that Odefa led thugs and people decked in unverified uniforms and hounded the chieftains of the party in the ward.
The statement reads: “this is to alert the general public and especially members and the National Working Committee (NWC) of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that Mr. Ali Odefa, the National Vice Chairman of the PDP on Monday September 7, 2024 at about 8pm in company with yet to be identified thugs and people decked in unverified uniforms in 5 (five) Hilux Vans invaded the compounds of some of our party members in Oshiri Community and abducted them to unknown destination.
“The invaders led by Mr. Ali Odefa cordoned-off the compounds of Messrs. Obinna Chukwu (Acting Youth Leader of PDP, Ogudu Okwor Ward) and Njoku Nwagu (Secretary of PDP, Ogudu Okwor Ward), whereby they were forcefully taken away in the presence of their distraught family members.
“Also, having abducted our two-party officers in Oshiri, the team moved to Abakaliki where they abducted Mr. Sunday Ogbonnaya Idika (Acting Organising Secretary, PDP Ogudu Okwor Ward).
“We were surprised that barely 10 hours after their abduction, they were dumped at the SWAT detention facility at the Police headquarters Abakaliki.
“When information reached us and we rushed to the police headquarters we were confronted with badly tortured, battered people with swollen faces.
“Within minutes we were told that police were charging them for cultism, threatening Ali Odefa, forgery and impersonation in suit CHARGE NO: 605C/2024 at the Magistrate Court of Ebonyi State, Abakaliki.
“We therefore, state categorically that this unlawful action of Mr. Ali Odefa in collusion with the police is part of his longstanding oppressive, overbearing and anti- party antecedent that led to his suspension in the first place,” the statement added
Mr Ovuta debunked Mr Odefa’s claim that he and others ward executives are not authentic Leaders of the party in the ward.
“For the avoidance of doubt, following the defection of the former Deputy Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Odefa Obasi Odefa alongside some members of the PDP Ogudu Okwor Ward Executives, the party stakeholders met and nominated their replacement.
“These replacements were ratified by the Onicha LGA Executive of the party and were subsequently endorsed by the state working committee,” he explained
Mr Ovuta accussed the police of never investigating the matters before charging the ward executives to court on trumped up charges.
He accused Odefa of plotting the arrest as part of his efforts at ensuring that the PDP in Ebonyi State remains in disarray to the convenience of the ruling APC in the state which Odefa is known to be working for.
“We therefore, use this medium to alert the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, that some of his officers and men in Ebonyi State Command may have been compromised against members of our party to divert the cause of justice.
“It is to be noted that the suspension of Mr. Ali Odefa is already part of a pending suit at the Federal High Court, Abakaliki with suit number FHC/AI/CS/182/2024 in the matter OVUTA ONYEDIKACHI & ORS VS CHIEF ALI ODEFA & ORS.
“Ali Odefa’s resort to crude violence, intimidation, harassment is unwarranted, unlawful and undemocratic and must not be condoned.
“If Ali Odefa feels aggrieved over his lawful suspension, he should wait for the disciplinary committee resolution on his matter as well as wait for a court of competent jurisdiction to determine the validity or otherwise of his suspension instead of resorting to violence and self help.”
Odefa, when contacted noted that the PDP chieftains were arrested and prosecuted for forgery.
He noted that the ward executives of the party have no powers to suspend him according to the party constitution.
What the Constitution of the party says
Section 58(1) of the PDP constitution lists offenses punishable by the party including anti-party.
It goes further in section 59(1) to list the punishments that can be handed out to any defaulting member of the party.
In section 59(2) it notes that the Executive Committee of the party at any level shall have the power to decide on any disciplinary measures to be taken against any member at that level.
However, in the proceeding section 59(3), it forecloses any other organ or committee of the party other than the National Executive Committee(NEC) from carrying out disciplinary measures against any NEC member.
“Notwithstanding to any other provision of this constitution relating to discipline, no executive committee at any level except the National Executive Committee shall entertain amy questions of discipline as may relate or concern a member of the National Executive Committee, President, Vice President, Governors, Deputy Governors, Ministers, Ambassadors, Special Advisers or Member of any of the Legislative Houses,” the party’s Constitution said.
Mr Ali Odefa is the current National Vice Chairman, South-East of the party and by virtue of his position is an automatic member of the NEC as outlined in section 31(1) of the party.
Despite this party constitutional provision which forecloses the ward from sanctioning Mr Odefa, the ward executives went ahead to announce his suspension last week.
