My expulsion from APC is premeditated, ridiculous, Rivers Assembly Minority Leader says
The expelled Minority leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Benibo Fredrick Anabraba, on Tuesday broke his silence as he openly described his expulsion by the All Progressives Congress, APC, last Monday, as premeditated and ridiculous.
Hon. Anabraba, representing Akuku Toru Constituency 11 who claimed that he was denied fair hearing by the APC, in the process of his expulsion from the party, stated that he was still a member of the APC and the Minority leader of the party in the Assembly.
Hon. Anabraba said in Port Harcourt: “My expulsion by the APC, my party, is ridiculous. I remain the minority leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly. The allegations that I am seeing in the purported expulsion letter are ridiculous. What is anti-party?”
He continued: “I was first invited by the party on the January 17, and I also replied them on the same day asking for a postponement, informing them that I was indisposed. The letter never mentioned anything about anti-party. It only said it was a meeting with the party leadership.
“I also asked them if the meeting was a general meeting or personal meeting. I explained that should it be a personal meeting, then I should be given another date to attend since I was indisposed at the time,” he explained.
According to Hon. Anabraba, the only second letter he received informed him that it had to do with the contentious position of Minority Leader, saying that he wrote back to them that he never knew that the position of Minority Leader was in contention.
He added that he had been elected and was functioning in that capacity, adding that the letter was dated January 25 he replied them on January 27.
He said: “I asked for time to present documents in my defense such as the Hansard of the House and the Speaker was not around. I will study the letter and take necessary action.”
In his reaction to the expulsion, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information and Training, Hon. Sam Oge, said that he was not aware of the expulsion of Hon. Anabraba by the APC because there was no official communication to that effect before the Assembly.
Hon. Oge stated in a chat with members of the Press Corps stated: “I am not aware of any expulsion. As the House Committee Chairman on Information and Training any decision taken by me will be based on the position of the House. As I speak with you, I am not aware of expulsion of any member. So I do not also have the authority of the House to say anything in this regard.”
Recall that Hon. Anabrabra who was elected as the Minority Leader in the Assembly on Tuesday 17, 2017, in an election faulted by the APC members in the House, was expelled by the party for anti-party activities.
In a letter dated January 27, 2017, addressed to Hon. Anabraba and copied to the National Chairman and the National Vice Chairman, South-South of the party, the APC state Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, claimed that the party’s National Working Committee, NWC had invited the lawmaker on three occasions based on all the allegations leveled against him but that he ignored the invitations.
The letter read in part: “The National Working Committee (herein referred to as NWC) of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Rivers State chapter, haven invited you three times to her meetings to discuss the allegation of your anti party activities, disobedience and negligence in carrying out lawful directives of the party….
“Your willful and consistent refusal to attend the proceedings on three occasions you were invited has confirmed your disrespect to your constituted authority of the party. The party considers your willful and deliberate refusal to make yourself available to answer to the allegations against you as sufficient confirmation that the allegations against you are true.
“Therefore,” the letter continued, “the party in pursuit to the relevant provisions of the constitution of the All Progressives Congress, APC (October 24 as amended) particularly Article 21 (A) ii, and iii, hereby expels you from the party forthwith.”
The letter read in part: “The National Working Committee (herein referred to as NWC) of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Rivers State chapter, haven invited you three times to her meetings to discuss the allegation of your anti party activities, disobedience and negligence in carrying out lawful directives of the party….
“Your willful and consistent refusal to attend the proceedings on three occasions you were invited has confirmed your disrespect to your constituted authority of the party. The party considers your willful and deliberate refusal to make yourself available to answer to the allegations against you as sufficient confirmation that the allegations against you are true.
“Therefore,” the letter continued, “the party in pursuit to the relevant provisions of the constitution of the All Progressives Congress, APC (October 24 as amended) particularly Article 21 (A) ii, and iii, hereby expels you from the party forthwith.”
