By NNAMDI OJIEGO

The expulsion of Senator Chimaroke Nnamani and the son and allies of former Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, will not remove their names from the ballot in the 2023 polls under the provisions of the amended Electoral Act.

The decision of the PDP National Working Committee, NWC, to expel the party members was reached at the end of the body’s 566th meeting in Abuja.

The expelled members are flying the party’s ticket in several constituencies in the 2023 polls. While Nnamani, who is representing Enugu West senatorial district is contesting to return to the Red Chamber of the National Assembly, Oluwajomiloju Fayose is the PDP’s candidate for Ekiti Central Federal Constituency. Others are Ayeni Funso (Ekiti North), Ajijola Lateef Oladimeji (Ekiti Central), Emiola Adenike Jennifer (Ekiti South II), Ajayi Babatunde Samuel (Ekiti North II), Olayinka James Olalere (Ekiti Central) and Akerele Oluyinka (Ekiti North I).

The party’s grievance with Nnamani was his campaign for his friend, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for President while the other six were accused of various degrees of disloyalty to the PDP National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.

Despite being a member of the PDP, Nnamani has publicly expressed his support for Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In December 2022, the former governor of Enugu said he was supporting Tinubu in the interest of the South-East. “I’m not looking for a ministerial position because I have outgrown that. We are doing this in the overall interest of our people,” he said.

Hon. Chris Ogbu, the party’s candidate for the Ideato South State Assembly seat in Imo State, has been in battle against Ayu and is a signatory to petitions against the National Chairman.

GWG.ng reports that under the provisions of the Electoral Act, the expulsion of the seven would not affect their participation in the polls.

However, the consequence for them is that they will be denied the support of the PDP in the elections as the party would not provide them with polling agents.

It is also possible that the party could mobilise to support rival party candidates in the elections against the expelled candidates.

Meanwhile, for Nnamani and the others, the expulsion could be inconsequential if they are strong enough in their constituencies and able to provide for themselves the support that the PDP would otherwise have provided.

But then the major headache Nnamani and others expelled may face would be that if they win and the election is challenged, the PDP would deny them in the tribunal, meaning that the election they fought so hard to win could be easily overturned based on the fact that they need to be sponsored by a political party to contest and win an election. (Vanguard)