Abia State Working Committee of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has suspended its governorship candidate in 2015 and 2019 elections, Alex Otti.
This was announced in a statement late Monday which was signed by the chairman, Augustine Ehiemere, and secretary, Sunday Onukwubiri.
The party accused Mr. Otti of engaging in anti-party activities, saying he equipped his political machinery, known as Abia First, to harass party officials and create divisions in the party.
It also accused Otti of indulging in illegal and unconstitutional activities as well as acts of insubordination to the party leadership, which “undermined the principle of party supremacy”.
It accused Otti of sponsoring attacks on its state and national leadership in social, print and electronic media.
“Otti is hereby suspended indefinitely from the party with immediate effect, pending the hearing and determination of his case by a disciplinary committee to be set up by the party in the state,” the party said.
APGA also urged stakeholders to desist from dealing with Otti “in any capacity as APGA member or representative in any capacity in Abia or elsewhere.”
Also suspended is the chairman of a faction of the party loyal to Otti, Nkem Okoro, for similar reasons.
Spokesman of Otti’s faction of the party, Ebere Uzoukwa, has dismissed the suspension as a nullity.
Mr. Uzuokwa said Messrs Ehiemere and Onukwubiri lacked the legal power to suspend or expel any member of the party, having been allegedly replaced by Okoro-led executive that emerged during the party’s state congress in June.
