An Abuja High Court has ruled that the expulsion of Honorable Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, who represents Ideato North and South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is invalid.
The court delivered the judgment on May 22, 2025, after reviewing the case brought before it concerning the legitimacy of the expulsion.
The issue began when a faction within the PDP, reportedly loyal to Samuel Anyanwu and Governor Wike, announced that Ugochinyere had been expelled from the party.
However, the court found this action to be unlawful. Justice Iheme declared that the expulsion notice was illegal and had no legal standing.
The court explained that according to the PDP constitution, only the National Executive Committee (NEC) holds the authority to discipline or expel a sitting member of the National Assembly.
In this case, the NEC and the party headquarters denied any involvement in the expulsion of Ugochinyere.
The court noted that the group claiming to have expelled him, identified as the Ward Executive Committee, did not have the power to take such action.
The ruling also pointed out that the process used to expel Ugochinyere bypassed the proper disciplinary procedure, and the alleged expulsion notice was therefore considered invalid.
The judge clarified that the issue of a fair hearing was irrelevant because the initial expulsion itself was not lawful.
The party’s constitution, last amended in 2017, was central to the decision, and the court emphasized that no group within the party could act outside the constitutional framework.
The judgment concluded that Ugochinyere remains a member of the PDP and the National Assembly. The court ordered that all parties involved bear their legal costs, and the invalid expulsion notice was struck down completely.
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