An Ebonyi State High Court sitting in Iboko, Izzi Local Government Area, has discharged and acquitted three Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ward executives accused of cultism, impersonation and forgery in a case connected to the suspension and subsequent expulsion of former PDP South-East National Vice Chairman, Ali Odefa.
The court ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the allegations against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt, the legal standard required to secure a criminal conviction.
The judgment was delivered on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, by Justice Ruth Edenwali in suit number HIB/15C/2026, titled The State v. Obinna Nwachukwu & 2 Ors.
The defendants are Obinna Nwachukwu, Idika Ogbonnya and Njoku Nwagwu, who serve on the PDP executive committee of Ogudu Okwor Ward in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
In delivering the judgment, Justice Edenwali held that the evidence presented during the trial was insufficient to establish that the three PDP officials belonged to a cult group.
The case originated from a 2024 police petition filed by Odefa, who accused the ward executives of attacking him, impersonating party officials and forging documents allegedly used in the disciplinary proceedings that led to his suspension and expulsion from the PDP.
During the proceedings, Odefa reportedly told the court that he had been attacked in his village and at a stadium. However, when questioned about whether he had reported the alleged incidents to any security agency, he said he had not.
The court further observed that Odefa did not provide sufficient evidence linking the defendants to any cult organisation.
The police prosecutor also failed to present evidence capable of establishing the allegation of cultism against the accused persons.
Consequently, the court held that the prosecution had not discharged its burden of proof, leading to the acquittal of the three PDP executives.
The Ebonyi High Court also found insufficient evidence to support the allegation that Nwachukwu, Ogbonnya and Nwagwu forged PDP documents connected to Odefa’s suspension and expulsion.
Justice Edenwali ruled that the materials presented before the court did not establish that the defendants committed the alleged offence.
The prosecution’s inability to prove the forgery allegation formed part of the basis for the court’s decision to discharge and acquit the three ward officials.
The judgment brings the criminal proceedings against the defendants to a conclusion on the charges before the court. However, the acquittal does not automatically resolve every separate dispute concerning the PDP’s internal disciplinary procedures or Odefa’s status in the party.
The latest ruling comes amid a series of legal disputes surrounding the suspension of Ali Odefa from the PDP.
On September 24, 2026, the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, upheld an earlier Federal High Court judgment affirming the validity of Odefa’s suspension by the party’s ward executives.
The appellate court delivered a unanimous decision in Appeal No. CA/E/22/2025, ruling that the suspension complied with the relevant provisions of the PDP Constitution, 2017, as amended.
The ruling affirmed the party’s disciplinary action against Odefa but addressed a different legal question from the criminal case involving the three ward officials.
While the appeal examined whether the suspension was valid under the party’s constitution, the Ebonyi State High Court considered whether the defendants had committed the criminal offences alleged in the police petition.
The legal dispute dates back to December 11, 2024, when Justice Hilary Oshomah of the Federal High Court in Abakaliki ruled that Odefa had been validly suspended by the PDP executive committee of Ogudu Okwor Ward in Onicha Local Government Area.
The decision was delivered in Suit No. FHC/AI/CS/183/2024 and was subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal in September 2026.
Following his suspension, Odefa was expelled from the PDP after an internal disciplinary process reportedly found him culpable of allegations involving anti-party activities.
The party’s disciplinary proceedings and the criminal prosecution of the ward executives arose from related events but involved distinct legal issues.
The acquittal means that Obinna Nwachukwu, Idika Ogbonnya and Njoku Nwagwu were not convicted of the cultism, impersonation and forgery offences brought against them in the case.
Justice Edenwali’s decision rested on the prosecution’s failure to establish the allegations beyond reasonable doubt.
The outcome also highlights the distinction between criminal proceedings and disputes over political party administration. A court’s decision on the validity of a party suspension does not, by itself, establish that individuals involved in the process committed criminal offences.
The judgment adds another development to the ongoing PDP crisis in Ebonyi State, where disagreements over party leadership, disciplinary actions and internal procedures have generated legal disputes.
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