- Timi Frank- getty images
True to the predictions of
many political analysts, the Disciplinary Committee set up by the All
Progressives Congress APC to examine a petition against the party’s Deputy
National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Timi Frank, Thursday submitted its
report, recommending the suspension and subsequent expulsion of Mr Frank from
the party.
The Solomon Edoja-led five man committee was recently constituted by
the South South zonal vice chairman of the party, Hilliard Etta to investigate
a petition written by a member of the party from Akwa Ibom state, Mr Aniekan
Akpabio. The petitioner had accused Mr Frank of making disparaging comments
against the party in the media.
Just before the committee began its
sittings, Mr Frank had indicated that he would not appear before a “kangaroo
panel”. “Some certain people cannot continue to oppress us. I want to make it
very clear, I will not attend to any kangaroo committee because I do not know
them. That is not to say that I do not respect party processes but I can only
attend to a committee set up by responsible people. “How can I go to a
committee that will take their report to Oyegun to decide my fate?
If tomorrow
I do not go and they submit their report to Oyegun and then he suspends me,
then that is the beginning of the struggle”, Frank had said. However,
submitting its report to the zonal executive of the party in Abuja, the
committee said while the petitioner appeared before it, Frank never honoured
its invitation. In its report sighted by Vanguard, the committee said it is not
a Father Christmas and so had no option than to rely on the claims of the
petitioner to arrive at its recommendations. While it recommended that Frank be
suspended forthwith, the committee also asked the zonal executive committee to
recommend the expulsion of Mr Frank to the National Executive Committee.
“However, 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 NEC for the expulsion of Timi Frank from the
party in line with Article 21 (D)(h)(ii) and (iii)”, the report read.
Frank has
been agitating for the sack of the party’s national chairman, Chief John
Odigie-Oyegun, accusing him of incompetence and also blaming him for his wilful
refusal to allow him (Frank) assume the position of acting spokesman of the
party since the exit of his immediate boss, Lai Mohammed who is now a cabinet
minister. The report of the committee would be subject to deliberation by the
National Working Committee NWC as well as the NEC of the party.- Vanguard
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