Ebonyi: ADC factional chairman rejects suspension, threatens court action

The factional Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Ebonyi State, Barrister Silas Onu, has rejected reports of his suspension from the party, describing it as baseless and unlawful.

Onu also threatened legal action against those behind the alleged suspension, insisting that their claims amount to defamation.

The suspension was reportedly announced by the Acting Chairman and Secretary of ADC in Obiozara Ward.

In a statement issued on Friday, Onu said the allegations levelled against him including financial misconduct were false and intended to portray him as a fraudster.

“People are free to play politics however they feel is just for them. But where that insanity extends to attacking the reputation of another person without lawful or reasonable justification, both the makers of such statement and the publisher will be held liable in a defamation suit,” he said.

He added that he had directed that the identities and addresses of those involved be traced in order for his lawyer to initiate legal proceedings.

“This will afford them the opportunity of establishing their allegations that I am a fraudulent person,” he stated.

Onu further argued that no ward in Ebonyi State currently has an acting executive, noting that elections had been conducted across all 171 wards, producing substantive leadership.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Chairman of Obiozara Ward is Mr. Godwin Njoku and he will never lend himself to such an infamous activity,” he added.

Reacting to the development, the Chairman of ADC in Ohaozara LGA, Engr. Chinedum Elekwachi, said the individuals who signed the suspension letter, Peter Obinna and Akuma Martins, are neither known nor registered members of the party.

He confirmed that Mr. Godwin Njoku remains the duly elected chairman of ADC in Obiozara Ward, stressing that no “acting chairman” structure exists within the party at ward level in Ebonyi State.