“Court Upholds Expulsion of PDP South-East Vice Chairman, Ali Odefa”
A Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, has ruled in favor of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), affirming the expulsion of Chief Ali Odefa, the party’s National Vice Chairman for the South-East. This ruling comes after Odefa’s suspension by the PDP executive committee in his Oguduokwor Ward, Onicha Local Government Area, on October 4, 2024, due to allegations of anti-party activities.
Despite the suspension, Odefa refused to recognize the action, continuing in his role as the South-East leader of the PDP. His defiance led the ward’s executive committee to expel him outright after he reportedly ignored a summons to appear before a disciplinary panel.
The committee subsequently sought a legal confirmation of his expulsion, bringing the matter to court. In the judgment delivered on Wednesday, Justice Hilary Oshomah ruled that the expulsion of Odefa was valid, granting all the reliefs sought by the Oguduokwor Ward executive committee. The case, filed as Suit No. FHC/AI/CS/182/2024, was championed by the ward’s chairman, Herbert Ovuta.
However, while the court affirmed the expulsion, it declined to award the N5 million cost sought by the committee against Odefa.
In reaction to the ruling, PDP’s legal counsel, Mudi Erhenede, hailed the judgment as a significant victory for democracy and indicated the party’s readiness to take the matter further to the Supreme Court if necessary. The ruling marks a critical moment in the ongoing legal and political disputes within the PDP.
