BARELY six days to its national convention, the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State has expelled 18 members loyal to the state Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi.

The state PDP announced the expulsion of the members shortly after receiving the report of the Performance Evaluation Committee on Monday at the party secretariat in Port Harcourt on Monday.

It added that the affected members disrespected the party and constituted authorities.

The state Chairman of the PDP, Mr. Felix Obuah, who spoke with newsmen listed those affected by the expulsion as the immediate- past Deputy National Chairman (South-South), Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, the Secretary to the State Government, George Feyii, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Tony Okocha and the Sole Administrator of the Greater Port Harcourt Development Authority, Aleruchi Cookey-Gam.

Also affected are 14 state commissioners; Mr. Victor Giadom (Works); Augustine Nwokocha (Power); Worgu Boms (Attorney General/Justice), Joe Poroma (Social Welfare); Ezemonye Ezekiel Amadi (Land and Survey); and Fred Igwe (Sports).

Others are Mr. Emmanuel Chinda (Agriculture); Mrs. Joeba West (Women Affairs); Dr. Nnabuihe Imegwu (Culture); Mrs. Patricia Simon-Hart (Water Resources); Mr. Okey Amadi (Natural Resources); Charles Okaye (Chieftaincy); Mrs. Ibim Semenitari (Information and Communications); and Samuel Eyiba (Local Government Affairs).

Obuah stated that the expulsion of the PDP members became necessary as a result of the recommendation of the Performance Evaluation and Disciplinary Committee of the party.

The state PDP chairman added that affected members had to face expulsion for refusing to appear before the Performance Evaluation Committee, which was set up to appraise the achievements of public office holders in the party.

He also said that the disciplinary action was taken against the affected members of the state PDP as a result of their alleged anti-party activities.

Obuah allayed fears that the expulsion of members of the party would weaken the party, adding that the expulsion of 18 members of the state PDP would only strengthen the PDP.

Reacting, the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, Mr. Tony Okocha, said the PDP in the state had no power to expel him and other members of the State Executive Council.

Okocha challenged the party to make public the names of the commissioners they (PDP) said wrote to them about their inability to honour their (PDP) invitation.

Describing the leadership of the state PDP as ignorant, Okocha said it was wrong for Obuah to have expelled members of the state executive council when a matter involving the Obuah-led executive of the PDP was still pending in court.

-Punch

Posted by admin on Aug 27 2013. Filed under Headlines, Party Politics, Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP), Rivers, State News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry