Rivers APC: ‘Expelled’ Minority Leader fights back

Tuesday, January 31, 2017 10:46 pm

Hon. Benibo Fredrick Anabraba

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

The Minority Leader of the Rivers House of Assembly Hon. Benibo Fredrick Anabraba, the All Progressive Congress, APC, lawmaker representing Akuku Toru constituency 2 has dismissed his expulsion from the party as illegal and insists that he remains the Minority Leader and full-fledged member of APC.

Anabraba expulsion from APC was announced in a letter signed by APC State Chairman, Dr Davies Ikanya on Monday. In the letter which was written on behalf of the Rivers State National Working Committee, NWC, Ikanya accused Anabraba of disobedience, negligence and anti -party activities.

But while rejecting the accusation, the lawmaker said his expulsion cannot stand because he was not given fair hearing before he was expelled.

Anabraba said, “My purported expulsion from my party,the APC which I laboured with others to build to me is ridiculous. In first letter on January 17 inviting me to a meeting which I replied asking for a postponement of the meeting, they never mentioned allegation of anti -party. They received my reply. In response to other letters of invitation, I replied and requested for a postponement of the meeting because I was indisposed.

“I also requested that I should be given time to gather documents when I found out the issue of the minority Leader position was in contention only to receive a letter dated January 27.

“Well I am looking into the letter of expulsion and at appropriate time, I will issue a response. But for now,I remain the Minority leader of Rivers State House of Assembly. Nothing has changed,”Anabraba said

APC had in a letter of expulsion issued to Anabraba said, “The State Working Committee of All Progressive Congress Rivers State Chapter, having Invited you three times to her meetings to discuss the allegations of your anti-party activities, disobedience and negligence in carrying out lawful directives of the party and your refusal to attend any of the three invitations, the SWC in her meeting of 27/01/2017 has resolved that you are guilty of anti-party activities and also guilty of disobedience and negligence in carrying out lawful directives of the Party”

“The Party Considers Your Willful and deliberate refusal to make yourself available to answer to the allegations against you as sufficient confirmation that the said allegations against you are true”

“Therefore in Pursuant to relevant provisions of the constitution of All Progressive Congress(Oct 2014 as amended) particularly Article 21(A) ll, I hereby expels you from the party Forthwith”

Anabraba ran into trouble when he went against the decision of the party that Hon. Josiah Olu representing the Eleme Constituency should be nominated and elected as the Minority Leader of the House.

But contrary to the decision of the APC, Anabraba contested the position of minority leader with PDP members nominating him and supporting him to clinch the position against the wishes of members of his party.