A five-man disciplinary committee constituted by South-South zonal leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has recommended the suspension and subsequent expulsion of the party’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Timi Frank.
The Solomon Edoja-led disciplinary committee on Thursday submitted the report which sought Frank’s ouster for making disparaging comments against the party in the media.
The panel, while presenting the report to the APC National Vice Chairman, South-South, Prince Hilliard Eta, said it relied on a petition from Mr Aneka Akpabio against Comrade Frank for its decision, following the failure of the party’s deputy national publicity secretary to honour its invitation. The committee said the petitioner appeared before them.
“Since the committee is not a Father Christmas, it has no choice than to rely on the prima facie evidence tendered by the petitioner. Consequent upon which, the committee now recommends as follows; that Timi Frank be suspended from the party forthwith in line with Article 21 D(f); the zonal executive committee should recommend to the National Executive Committee (NEC) for the expulsion of Timi Frank from the party in line with Article 21 (D)(h)(ii) and (iii)”, the report read.
Political analysts have earlier seen the constitution of the panel as an attempt to suspend Frank from the APC National Working Committee (NWC) for his consistent calls for the resignation of the party’s national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun over what he called his incompetence and failure to address the crises rocking the party.
Frank had also faulted the decision of the Odigie-Oyegun-led NWC not to recognise him as the acting national publicity secretary since the resignation of Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the erstwhile APC spokesman.
The Bayelsa State born politician had earlier fingered the party’s national chairman as the brain behind the constitution of what he called a “kangaroo” panel to investigate him.
He said he would not appear before the panel which membership was composed of unknown persons and voiced readiness to defend himself if the panel found him guilty.
Meanwhile, the recommendations of the panel are still subject to the approval of the party’s NWC and NEC.