The South-South Zonal Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chukwuemeke Ogbuobodo, along with other zonal officers, has strongly condemned the recent suspension of Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, the Minister of State for Petroleum, by the party’s local government executive in Bayelsa State.
In a statement released yesterday, Ogbuobodo declared the suspension illegal, null, and void, asserting that the local government area executive cannot adjudicate matters involving its own members. He urged the executive and its sponsors to refer to Article 21.3 of the party’s Constitution to understand the proper procedures for addressing complaints or allegations.
Ogbuobodo emphasized that the local council executive is not above the law and should not consider itself superior to other party members, stating, “APC is not a party for supermen but a party guided by the rules of law.”
The suspension of Lokpobiri and the 2019 gubernatorial candidate for the party in Bayelsa State, David Lyon, was announced by the APC executives in Southern Ijaw and Ekeremor local government areas in separate press briefings last week. However, Ogbuobodo challenged the validity of these suspensions, noting that the entire state executive was invalidated by a ruling from the Bayelsa State High Court in Suit No YHC/16/2022. He questioned, “Who gave you the power to suspend the Minister?”
He warned those behind the purported suspensions that their actions were contrary to both the party’s Constitution and the laws of the land. To prevent further interference by unauthorized individuals in the party’s affairs in Bayelsa State, Ogbuobodo announced that party leaders in the South-South zone would promptly approach the APC National Working Committee (NWC) to appoint a caretaker committee. This committee would oversee the party’s activities in the state until a substantive state executive can be elected.