Posted by By LUCKY NWANKWERE, Abuja on
National Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Ahmadu Ali, has said the Anambra State governor, Dr. Chris Ngige, whose expulsion from the party was quashed by a high court recently, stands expelled from the party.
National Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Ahmadu Ali, has said the Anambra State governor, Dr. Chris Ngige, whose expulsion from the party was quashed by a high court recently, stands expelled from the party.
He told state House correspondents in Abuja at the weekend that as far as the national executive committee of the PDP was concerned, the expulsion of the governor from party stays.
Referring to the party's constitution, which he said was categorical on such an issue, he maintained that the expulsion of Ngige could only be quashed by the party's national convention which is yet to hold.
"Once he is expelled by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, the constitution of our party says the national convention would ratify that expulsion. The constitution is not giving an alternative. It is specific," he stated.
Asked if the party's executive, considering that its national convention would not come up earlier than November this year, was not thinking of welcoming the governor back into the party's fold, Ali's replied: "I'm not aware of that."
Ali who however, ruled out any further legal contest over the matter, expressed displeasure with the way and manner courts adjudicate on certain issues, saying "we don't have a court of justice in the land."
"The problem we have with the courts in Nigeria generally is that people turn up with affidavits and the courts or the judges have no way of proving some of the facts used. You call any two names who are asked to expel somebody and those people do not exist in the register of the party.
"But the courts cannot prove it; all they do is pass judgment. We don't have a court of justice. What we have is a court that deals with only technicalities," he stated, while insisting that Governor Ngige remains expelled from the party.