The Ebonyi chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party State Chairman, Mr Okorie Tochukwu, has been suspended for allegedly diverting over N53 million from the party’s account.
According to The PUNCH, the decision to suspend Tochukwu was taken by the party’s Working Committee.
It was discovered the embattled party chairman diverted the money without recourse to others who are signatories to the account.
The deputy state Chairman of PDP, Ifeanyi Nworie, stated this after the SWC’s emergency meeting in Abakaliki, on Monday, adding that the suspension was for a period of one month.
According to Nworie, Okorie was suspended owing to his failure to organise executive meetings for a period of four months since he was reinstated as chairman by the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
He said, “At the Emergency SWC meeting today, we reviewed the activities of our chairman, Tochukwu Okorie and his misconduct.
“The chairman has failed to organise a meeting for more than four months which is against the party’s constitution.
“The Deputy Chairman, the Legal Adviser, the Publicity Secretary, and the Women Leader were among those at the Emergency meeting of today.”
The publication reported that on May 23, 2022, the Court of Appeal in Abuja ordered the reinstatement of Okorie as Chairman of PDP in Ebonyi State and sacked Silas Onu, who was formerly the occupant of the position.
But reacting, Okorie described his alleged suspension as illegal, saying, “it is only the national leadership that can suspend me.
“I’m a member of the National Executive Council of the party and no member of the state working committee has the power to suspend me.
“On the alleged gross misconduct, I’m the chairman as directed by the court. I have the prerogative power to access the party’s account in carrying out party activities.”