Members of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) have suspended their National President, Prof. Bala Audu, and leader of the National Officers Committee (NOC) for violating and disregarding the association’s constitution.

The suspension was handed down at NMA’s Emergency Delegates Meeting (EDM), which had 63 members in attendance, including chairmen and secretaries from 23 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Members had accused the Audu-led administration of illegally disqualifying six members from contesting various posts in the association’s national election scheduled to be held at the NMA Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Kano between April 27 and May 3.

It was gathered that the Audu-led executive, including the NOC, allegedly disqualified the six aspirants because they all submitted incomplete documents.

Consequently, a caretaker committee, led by a former Secretary-General of the association, Dr Ekpe Phillips, was constituted during the meeting to run affairs of the association until after the election, and to ensure that the Audu-led NOC faces the disciplinary committee, and is sanctioned if found guilty.

At the meeting, members unanimously voted for the reversal of the disqualification of the six candidates in the exercise, which was moderated by Dr Omotayo Adetunji and Dr Fernandez Akinnagbe, who were nominated as Chairman and Secretary before commencement of the EDM.

Chairman, NMA-FCT, Dr Emeka Ayogu, backed the move, saying members had no option but to take the drastic decision after all efforts to broker peace failed.

On his part, a former Deputy Secretary-General of NMA, Dr Umezurike Ikechukwu, said the Audu-led administration failed woefully by not listening to appeals of members regarding the disqualified candidates.