The former National Vice Chairman South South Zone, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ntufam Hillard Eta, has dismissed his expulsion from the party by the National Executive Committee (NEC) insisting that the meeting lacks the locus to expel him.
Reacting to the development in a telephone interview, Eta said the NEC meeting at the Villa had no power to expel him. He said that the action of the highest decision-making body of the party was in nullity and argued that the Secretary of the Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Sen. James John Akpanudoedehe has no power to convene any NEC meeting.
He said, “I am already in Court. The lawyers amongst them should have told them that they can’t make that pronouncement since I am in Court. “Their action is a nullity because it isn’t even the NEC of the party that met. Their so-called acting national secretary has no power to convene NEC.”
You will recall that the emergency NEC meeting on Tuesday at a virtual meeting announced the expulsion of Eta following his refusal to comply with the decision of the 8th Emergency NEC meeting of June 25 that directed all party members to withdraw all legal actions against the party or any of its organs. Eta had on November 26 approached an Abuja Federal High Court seeking an order of the court to nullify the dissolution of the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole led National Working Committee (NWC) by the NEC, to reinstate the Committee and be recognised as the acting National Chairman of the party. But rising from its meeting which held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday, the NEC presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari announced the expulsion of Eta and took some other far-reaching decisions.
