Aaior K. Comfort

The South-South Zonal Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chukwuemeke Ogbuobodo, along with other zonal officers, has vehemently condemned the 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 characterized the suspension as illegal, null, and void.

Ogbuobodo stressed that the local government party executive lacks the authority to judge its members, urging them to review Article 21.3 of the APC Constitution, which outlines the proper procedures for addressing complaints and allegations. He underscored that the local council executive is not above the law and should not consider themselves superior to others, emphasizing that the APC operates under a rule of law.

The controversy arose when the APC executives in Southern Ijaw and Ekeremor local government areas issued statements last week purporting to suspend both Lokpobiri and David Lyon, the party’s 2019 gubernatorial candidate in Bayelsa State. Ogbuobodo, however, pointed out that the entire executive committee in the state was invalidated by a Bayelsa State High Court decision, questioning their legitimacy in suspending the minister.

He stated, “The decision by the so-called LG Executive of APC is unknown to both the party’s Constitution and the laws of the land.” To address this issue, he called for the appointment of a caretaker committee by the APC National Working Committee to oversee party activities in Bayelsa State until a new executive can be elected.

Ogbuobodo urged party members and the general public to disregard the purported suspension, labeling it as an attempt by certain individuals to sow confusion within the Bayelsa chapter of the APC. He commended Lokpobiri for his significant contributions to the successes of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, expressing confidence in his capabilities as a minister.

“The action of these individuals was borne out of envy and a wicked plot to destabilize APC in Bayelsa State and the South-South Zone,” Ogbuobodo concluded, condemning the unlawful suspension and encouraging party members to stand against such actions.