BY NATIONAL PANEL REPORTERS
The immediate past Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Chief Elias Mbam has described as a sham the strategies by the Ebonyi State working committee of the APC to suspend him in connection with party gubernatorial primaries held last week.
NATIONAL PANEL gathered that Mbam on Tuesday 26th May 2022 conducted a parallel gubernatorial primary election in his campaign office, Mile 50 along old Abakaliki-Enugu Express Road, leading to his emergence as a factional governorship candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi State.
The APC leadership in the state has expressed vexation towards the disposition exemplified by Mbam for not observing the party provisions, by participating in the governorship primary which produced Chief Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru as its 2023 flag bearer at Pa Ngele Oruta Township Stadium, Abakaliki, without a covering schedule to stain its image.
According to the APC State Chairman, Chief Stanley Okoro-Emegha, the former RMAFC Boss has been suspended from the party with a fine of two billion Naira for deviating from the party decision.
Contending on why the suspension and fines affixed against his actions by the party lacked merit, Mbam observed that, "from the provisions of the APC Constitution, the wards, local government areas and state executives of the party have no powers to look into disciplinary complaints arising from the APC gubernatorial primary election which took place at the state level."
Mbam revealed this in a statement signed and made available to journalists through his Chief Press Secretary Obinna Udenwe on Monday.
He pointed out that the planned actions of the state government through the Party will not stand and they know it. He however calls on Ebonyi people, APC faithful and his teeming supporters to ignore the latest move to suspend him.
“We have heard plans being orchestrated by the state government and the State APC Chairman, Stanley Okoro Emegha to suspend Engr. Elias Mbam, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the just concluded APC gubernatorial primary in Ebonyi State.
“This is not only ridiculous but beats every known rule and guideline as contained in the APC constitution, as amended.
“After the APC primary of Thursday 26th May 2022, the Governor and the Chairman had a meeting in the evening and concluded plans to suspend Engr. Elias Mbam.
“This we thought was mere rumour until Sunday, 29th May when there was an announcement on local radio by one Mr Unachi Christopher inviting Engr. Mbam to a meeting at his ward by 8 is of Monday 30th, knowing that it was impossible for Engr. Mbam who is in Abuja to return to Ebonyi before 8 am.
“This Issue has become a subject of a pending court case and the principal actor Mr Christopher Unachi was duly served with the court processes today, Monday 30th May 2022, by the bailiff of the Ebonyi State High Court.
“State government using his aides to summon Engr. Elias Mbam for a disciplinary procedure in Ebonyi State in connection with the APC Gubernatorial primary election is a mockery of the APC guidelines for primary elections and also an abuse of the powers conferred on the appropriate organs of the party at various levels under the extant APC Constitution," he said.
Mbam further observed the Constitution, saying, “For instance, Article 21.3 (vi) (a) of the APC Constitution (As Amended March 26th, 2022) provides that “The Ward Executive shall be the adjudicatory body of the first instance over complaints or allegation from the Polling Unit level.”, while Article 21.3 (vi) (d) of the APC Constitution (As Amended March 26th, 2022) provides that “The Zonal Committee shall be the adjudicatory body of the first instance over complaints or allegations from the State chapter of the zone.”
Clarifying our correspondents, the APC State Chairman, Chief Stanley Okoro-Emegha noted that the former RMAFC Boss has been suspended from the party with a fine of two billion Naira for deviating from the party decision.
“The ward has already suspended him. We are going to expel him from the party and sue him to pay a fine of two billion nairas for going against the party’s decision by conducting a parallel congress,” Emegha cleared.
