PDP NWC acting in contempt of court, says Ortom

The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has said that the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party is acting in contempt of a subsisting Court Order by referring him to the disciplinary committee of the party for alleged anti-party activities.

Governor Ortom also said it was contemptuous of the party’s leadership to disregard the court order which barred the party or any organ of the party from issuing any disciplinary measure against him.

The PUNCH reported how the NWC of the PDP approved the suspension of  Pius Anyim and a former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, from the party alongside Professor Dennis Ityavyar from Benue and Dr Aslam Aliyu from Zamfara states.

However, the party in its decision further referred Ortom to its National Disciplinary Committee over alleged anti-party activities.

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The governor, while reacting to the development in a statement through his Chief Press Secretary, Nathaniel Ikyur, on Thursday night, stated, “The case is pending in court and there is an order of injunction restraining any organ of the party from carrying out any disciplinary action against the governor. This case is adjourned to 18th April 2023 and so it is baffling to see such a statement coming from the national leadership of the party.

“I think the national leadership of our great party is losing its sense of direction. Instead of the leadership to sit back and think of ways on how to rebuild the party from the ruins of the defeat from the just concluded elections, they are going about chasing imaginary shadows.

“In any case, the first person the party should refer to the disciplinary committee should be the national chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu. The national chairman lost his polling unit, lost his ward, local government, and even the state.”

Speaking further, Ortom said, “As if that is not enough, there are strong indications that the national chairman was involved in anti-party activities in Benue State by working for the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, just to get at me because of my principled stand against certain aspects of the decisions of the national leadership of the party.”

The governor said the party should not be allowed to be ridiculed by some individuals who were bent on destroying the party for their selfish gains.