Four leaders of the Imo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have petitioned the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order for Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere to vacate his seat following his expulsion from the party.
The PDP chieftains, through their lawyer, Johnson Usman (SAN), also requested that Ugochinyere refund all salaries, allowances, and emoluments he received since his expulsion to the federal government.
Ugochinyere, who represents Ideato North and South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, is listed as the first defendant in the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/358/2025. Other defendants include the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the PDP, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Read Also: Why I’ll Never Join PDP – El-Rufai
The plaintiffs—Austine Nwachukwu (Imo PDP Chairman), Thankgod Okeke (PDP Ideato North LGA Chairman), Agatha Onyejisi (PDP Ward Chairman, Umuopia/Umukegwu Ward), and Carl Nwokoma (Imo PDP Vice Chairman/Orlu Zonal Chairman)—asked the court to determine whether, under Sections 65(2)(b) and 68(1)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, a lawmaker automatically loses their seat if they cease to be a member of the party that sponsored their election unless protected by an exception in the Constitution.
They also sought a declaration that Ugochinyere’s expulsion means he is no longer a member of the National Assembly and urged the court to direct the Speaker to officially declare his seat vacant.
Additionally, they requested an order compelling INEC to conduct a bye-election for the Ideato North and South Federal Constituency within 90 days.
In an affidavit, Nwachukwu stated that as the PDP state chairman, he had the authority of the other plaintiffs to file the suit.
He alleged that Ugochinyere was expelled due to anti-party activities after repeatedly ignoring invitations from the party’s Disciplinary Committee.
According to Nwachukwu, the lawmaker was suspended by his ward on October 14, 2024, and later expelled by the PDP Ideato North LGA executives on December 5, 2024.
This decision was communicated to the state PDP chairman and later to the party’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagun, on December 9, 2024.
He emphasized that all 27 PDP chairmen in Imo supported Ugochinyere’s expulsion, affirming that it was not being contested in any court.
He argued that in the interest of justice and democratic principles, the court should grant their requests.
The case, filed on Thursday, has not yet been assigned to a judge.
Join Informant Online WhatsApp Channel With Link Below: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaihFajBadmT29ufud2
