Just in: Suspension – AA chair, Udeze threatens to sue INEC

Just in: Suspension – AA chair, Udeze threatens to sue INEC

THE national chairman of Action Alliance, AA,Chief Kenneth Udeze has threatened to file contempt proceedings against the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,for allegedly treating issues already before the court of law.

This came as he said contrary to reports in some quarters insinuating that he and the party’s National Secretary, Vernimbe James, were suspended, they were still in charge of the affairs of the party and asked people to disregard the claim.

Udeze, who frowned that the commission was recognising correspondences from some members of the National Executive Committee, NEC of the party, serving suspension, said the party under him would not hesitate to file contempt proceedings against the commission unless it immediately desist.

Addressing the media in Abuja on the party’s leadership crisis, Udeze insisted that the commission was backing some members of the National Executive Committee of the party, earlier suspended by the National Think Tank Committee, NTTC of AA, to discredit the party’s leadership.

His position,he said, was based on the commission’s hurried endorsement of a purported endorsement of his suspension and that of the party’s secretary, Vernimbe James by the faction despite a court litigation trailing the issue.

Noting that the purported suspension of himself and the party’s secretary, Mr Vernimbe James,by the faction was being challenged in court,he wondered why INEC was treating correspondences from the faction he said were suspended by the National Think Tank Committee of the party.

“That is not correct, that is false,misleading and should be disregarded by all Action Alliance Party members across Nigeria.

” What transpired was that some suspended national officers of the party with uninformed staff of the INEC made false pronouncement that the Action Alliance National Chairman and secretary were suspended from the party.

“The matter of suspension of the party’s national chairman and national secretary are subject of litigations at the FCT High Court sitting in Nyanya,Abuja.

” The matters are sub justice and that being the case,it amounted to affront in the face of the judiciary and the executive rascality for someone from INEC informing us that be e are on suspension which tends to pre-empt the court,the commission passing its judgement before the court delivers its own,and that could be treated as contempt of court.

“It is not for the commission to play the roles of the party and the judge by unilaterally informing us of the suspension and passing its judgement without notice waiting for the outcome of the cases pending in the courts of law,” he said.

Udeze spoke further: ” You recall that on June 21,2019,about nine NEC members of the party were suspended by the party’s highest caucus, the National Think Thank Committee’w meeting monitored by three officials of INEC.

“Those claiming to have suspended us on June 14,2019,never complied with the party’s Constitution Article 14(3) and sections 31,32,33,34,35 and 36 of the INEC guidelines and regulations for political parties 2013,hence our purported suspension.

” We urge the commission not to act upon any correspondence from any person or FIFA bans Samson Siasia over match fixinggroup of persons or attach any probative value to same suggesting that the national chairman of Action Alliance, Chief Kenneth Udeze and the National Secretary, Vernimbe James have been suspended.

“We hold the commission in high esteem under the chairmanship of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and we believe and hope that the commission will correct itself for anything that went wrong as a result of misinformation as regard the purported suspension of the national chairman and secretary of Action Alliance.

” However, if the commission refuses to wait for the outcome of the court cases filed in two courts against us by those claiming to have suspended us, we may have no other option than to commence contempt proceedings against key officers of the commission and a fresh lawsuit against the commission.”