The National Executive Council of the National Rescue Movement on Monday suspended the National Chairman, Isaac Ude, and two other national officers over alleged breaches and violation of the party constitution and financial impropriety.
The other suspended officers are the Deputy National Chairmen, Lawson Ihigwe (South) and Salisu Dawaki (North).
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the party’s three national leaders were suspended and referred to the NRM investigation panel following a report of the party National Management Committee presented at the NEC meeting in Abuja.
The NMC report was signed by eight members and read by the NRM acting National Secretary, Obidike Okolo.
Reading the report, Okolo accused Udeh of unilaterally endorsing the Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, for the 2023 presidential election.
He said that the suspended national chairman was also accused of sabotaging the party by going behind to demand for money from political parties NRM was discussing the issue of alliance with.
Okolo also alleged that Udeh refused to call for NWC meeting as stipulated in the party’s constitution even after several demands by members.
He said that all efforts by the NMC to get Udeh to make clarification on the allegations proved abortive as he refused to appear before the committee on invitations sent to him.
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He said that based on the foregoing, the NMC recommended that Udeh should be immediately suspended and referred to the panel of inquiry already set up by the NMC to investigate the allegations.
Okolo said: “The National Chairman cannot preside over the affairs of the party while he is being investigated so that he will not interfere with the investigations while he will be afforded a fair hearing by the panel.
“Furthermore, NMC has reasons to believe that the two deputy national chairmen (North and South) are complicit in the above-mentioned constitutional violations either by omission, commission, or negligence.
“Accordingly, NMC recommends that the two national deputy chairmen be suspended and referred to the investigative panel for investigation.”
NAN reports that the recommendation was unanimously accepted through a voice vote and Udeh was suspended, while the National Welfare Secretary, Prince Chinedu Obi, was immediately elected as the party’s acting National Chairman.
In his remarks, as the acting national chairman of the NRM, Obi thanked the party for the confidence reposed in him, promising that it would not be regretted.
He said: “I want to assure you that the NRM has set a standard for political party administration in Nigeria.
“This is the only party that, of course, if you look at the report that was presented to us by the NMC, you will know that the NRM has not departed from the vision of its founding fathers.”
In a swift reaction, Udeh denied all allegations against him, describing them as a calculated attempt by members of the NMC to bring up non-existing allegations to remove him as national chairman of the party.
Udeh, who threatened to take legal action against the party for defamation of character, added that his purported suspension was illegal and cannot stand.
On the endorsement of the PDP and its presidential candidate for the 2023 presidential election by the NRM, Udeh said it was the decision of the NMC to look for three parties and their candidates, from which one would be endorsed.
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