By Yemi Yusuf
A High Court in Makurdi, Benue State, on Friday expelled embattled former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Iyorchia Ayu, from the Party.
Ayu’s woes which began in the run up to the last presidential election when five governors of the party led by former Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike demanded his sack as party chairman has only grown worse by the day.
Shortly after the party lost the Presidential election, Mr Ayu was suspended in March by the executive committee of the PDP.
Immediately afterwards came the judgement by W. I Kpochi of the Benue State High Court restraining Mr Ayu from parading himself as the national chairman of the PDP following an ex-parte request by a member of the party in Benue, Terhide Utaan.
The recent judgment by justice Maurice Ikpambese, who is the Chief Judge of Benue State which nullified Mr Ayu’s membership of the party has put paid to his ambition of returning to his position as the party’s chair.
Delivering judgement on the substantive suit on Friday, the judge dismissed Mr Ayu’s preliminary objections. He said by virtue of Article 8(9)of PDP’s constitution, Mr Ayu ceased being a member of the party, owing to his failure to pay the party’s statutory membership fees.
“The plaintiff has proven his case, all the questions for determination have been resolved in favour of the plaintiff, and he is entitled to all the reliefs sought. I so order,” he said.
Citing the provisions of Article 46(1)of the PDP constitution, Mr Ikpambese dismissed Mr Ayu’s contention that the ward executive committee of the party cannot discipline a member of the National Executive Committee.
The judge held that the ward executive of the PDP is imbued with the power to discipline a member of the NEC of the party. He also held that Mr Ayu failed to prove that he had paid his membership subscription fee.
Earlier, Mr Utaan’s lawyer, Emmanuel Ukala, a SAN, in a suit marked: MHC/85/2023, had urged the court to declare that Mr Ayu was no longer fit to be the national chairman of the PDP.
The lawyer predicated the suit on the grounds that Mr Ayu had lost membership of the party in his Igyorov Council Ward of Gboko in Benue State and urged the court to declare Mr Ayu unfit to preside over the party’s affairs.
He prayed the court to stop Mr Ayu from parading himself as the national chairman of the PDP.
