Mr Goddy Jeddy-Agba: suspended

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River state on Friday suspended a governorship aspirant, Mr Goddy Jeddy-Agba and 10 others from the party.

The party hammer could however not fall on two members of the National Assembly, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba and Representative Chris Eta, who appeared to have committed the same offence for which the 11 members were punished.

Mr John Okon, Chairman of PDP in the state, said the 11 members were suspended “for corrupting the process of the just-concluded ward delegate congress election in the state.’’

Okon also said they were suspended for taking the hierarchy of the state party to court against party rules.

He named the other suspended members as Sandy Onor, Venatius Ikem, Jones Tangban, Tony Ngban, Ubi Itam, Kenut Ndoma-Egba, Ernest Irek, Livinus Odiga, Samuel Willie and Godwin Igiri.

“We don’t have powers to suspend Sen. Victor Ndoma-Egba and Rep. Chris Eta because they are members of the National Assembly; the (party’s) Constitution says so.

“Following the just-concluded delegate congress, a lot of issues occurred. We have party members that ridiculed the party; others went to court against the party rules.

“Some party members across the state also sent petitions against them.

“Following this, I had to summon the party’s exco in the state to sit over them and we took a resolution that those involved should be suspended accordingly’’, he said.

According to him, the suspended members have been referred to the appropriate party committee in the state in line with the constitution of the party for thorough investigation.

Okon said the committee would be headed by Mr Joseph Effiom, adding that the committee would study the suspension and send recommendations to the party hierarchy in the state.

Reacting to the development, one of those suspended, Mr Sandy Onor, said “the action is a joke, a desperate joke by a vanquished cabal.’’