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, yesterday, submitted its report, recommending the suspension and subsequent expulsion of the publicity secretary 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 Frank of making disparaging comments against the party in the media.
But just before the committee began its sittings, 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 that 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 Chief John Odigie-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, the committee said it was 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 the national publicity secretary 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.