Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
The Abakaliki Division of the Federal High Court has affirmed the suspension of Ali Odefa from office as the National Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Odefa was suspended from the party on October 4, 2024, by the Executive committee of the party at his Oguduokwor Ward in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, for alleged anti-party activities.
But Odefa, argued that the suspension is null and void as those who allegedly carried out the suspension were not bona-fide ward executives of the party.
A member of the party, Herbert Ovuta, took the embattled politician to court praying the court to uphold the suspension.
The plantiff also urged the court to restrain Mr Odefa from parading himself as the National Vice Chairman of the party.
Delivering judgement on the matter in suit no FHC/AI/CS/182/2024 Justice Hilary Oshomah upheld the suspension.
The court while stating that Mr Odefa was validly suspended from the party, ordered him to stop parading himself as the National Vice Chairman of the party.
Party bedevilled by crisis
Prior to the 2023 general election, the party became enmeshed in internal wranglings in the lead up to its primaries.
After the primaries, many aggrieved members left the party and teamed up with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
This resulted in the party winning just one National Assembly seat, Afikpo North/South Constituency.
It had previously won all but one national Assembly seat in the 2019 general elections.
The in-fighting did not stop after the election as two factions continued to fight for control of the state party structure.
This led to setting up of two caretaker committees by the national leadership of the party which were later dissolved after they failed to bring lasting peace to the party.
Exodus from the party has continued unabated with more bigwigs of the party decamping to the ruling APC.
