Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The All Progressives Congress in Anambra State has expelled 30 of its members for instituting legal actions against the party, a decision that directly impacts the political futures of several National Assembly aspirants who may now be disqualified from the party’s upcoming primary elections. The state Publicity Secretary, Sir Valentine Iyiegbu, announced the mass expulsion on Monday, May 11, 2026, shortly after a meeting of the State Executive Committee (SEC) in Awka, the state capital. Iyiegbu stated that the action was taken in line with Article 21, Subsection 5 of the APC constitution, which stipulates that members who engage in litigation against the party without exhausting internal dispute resolution mechanisms face outright expulsion.
According to Iyiegbu, the SEC deliberated on the cases of members who had taken the party to court, many of whom are seeking tickets to contest for House of Representatives seats. “No fewer than 30 members of the APC in the state have been expelled following their litigations against the party,” he said. “The party discussed those who took the party to court, and many of them are contesting for the House of Representatives tickets of the party. The matter comes up tomorrow, and the SEC states that what the party constitution stipulates will be followed, and that it is outright expulsion under Article 21, Subsection 5.” Iyiegbu clarified that the SEC ratified the expulsions because the affected members failed to exhaust all internal avenues provided by the party to resolve their grievances before resorting to litigation.
The expelled members are predominantly aspirants for National Assembly seats, and with their expulsion, they may no longer be qualified to participate in the party’s forthcoming primary elections. In addition to the House of Representatives aspirants among those expelled, some of the litigants are also vying for senatorial tickets. The expulsion appears designed to send a clear message: anyone who bypasses the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms and heads straight to court risks losing their membership entirely. The party leadership emphasised that this was not a punitive measure taken lightly but a necessary enforcement of its own constitutional provisions.
Iyiegbu offered the expelled members a single path back to the party fold: “It is only when the matters are withdrawn from the court that the party can consider listening to them.” This conditional reprieve means that if the affected members withdraw their lawsuits, the party may reconsider their status. However, with primary elections looming, the timing of any such withdrawal may already be too late to salvage their candidacies. The party spokesman noted that all eleven House of Representatives seats and the three Senate seats in Anambra State currently have aspirants contesting for tickets, and screening committees have already been set up to vet the remaining candidates.
In parallel with the expulsion, the party also ratified the appointment of a five‑member Primary Elections Committee to oversee the upcoming primaries. The committee is headed by the State Organising Secretary, Sir Izuchukwu Okeke. Additionally, the NEC relocated the screening of aspirants for the National Assembly to a new venue, further underscoring the urgency of finalising the candidate list ahead of the 2027 elections. BusinessDay reported that the expelled members include persons seeking tickets for both the House of Representatives and the Senate, confirming that the purge has reached the upper echelons of the party’s aspirant pool.
InsideOut News added that the SEC ratified the expulsions after concluding that the litigants had not exhausted the internal dispute resolution mechanisms provided by the party. The Nation Newspaper further reported that a seven‑man disciplinary committee has been inaugurated, with Senator Margery Okadigbo as Chairman and Comrade Chris Chikwelu as Secretary. Other appointments included Ben Nwozor as Director of Security Services and Ozo Sam Oraegbunam as Director of Administration. These decisions were reached at the State Executive Council meeting presided over by Deputy State Chairman J.C. Okeke. The party also charged newly inaugurated local government chairmen to be “fishers of members,” a mandate to recruit and strengthen the party’s presence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The development reflects a broader trend of political parties tightening internal discipline in the run‑up to the 2027 general elections. By expelling members who resort to litigation, the APC is signalling that it will not tolerate challenges that could delay or destabilise its primary processes. The move also underscores the importance of internal party mechanisms for resolving disputes, a principle enshrined in the party’s constitution but often disregarded by aggrieved members. For the 30 expelled individuals, the choice is now stark: withdraw their lawsuits and beg for mercy, or remain outside the party and watch the 2027 elections from the sidelines.
The expulsion comes at a critical juncture for the APC in Anambra State, where the party has struggled to gain a foothold against the dominant All Progressives Grand Alliance. The state SEC appears intent on projecting an image of discipline and order, hoping that a unified candidate list will improve the party’s electoral fortunes. Whether the expulsion of 30 members, including some of its most ambitious aspirants, will strengthen or weaken the party’s chances remains to be seen. What is certain is that in the coming days, the expelled members will have to decide whether to fight their expulsion in court — the very action that got them expelled in the first place — or to accept their fate and watch from the outside as the party marches toward 2027..
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