The parliamentary group of the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) collected sufficient signatures on Wednesday to submit a no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim after he declined to resign voluntarily.

The representative for the Dhiggaru constituency, removed in late April from important parliamentary committees, was expelled around 06:00 am Wednesday from a WhatsApp group for PNC parliamentarians overseen by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.

Several PNC parliamentarians informed Sun that the party has chosen to remove Nazim from his role as Deputy Speaker.

They have collected sufficient signatures to submit a no-confidence petition against Nazim.

A senior party parliamentarian informed Sun that Nazim was directed to step down. He stated that the party chose to submit a no-confidence motion to oust him after he declined to step down.

PNC has not provided any official statement about the reasons Nazim was removed from the WhatsApp group or the cause of his dismissal from his role.

Ibrahim Falah, the head of PNC’s parliamentary group, has not replied to inquiries for a comment, despite numerous messages and calls.

Nazim was not readily available for a response either.

A no-confidence motion against the Deputy Speaker requires the backing of 24 lawmakers to be submitted to Parliament – a simple task for the PNC, which has a supermajority in the Parliament with 75 of the 93 seats.

The effort to oust Nazim from his role as Deputy Speaker coincides with the government's plan to propose a change to the Political Parties Act, outlining the process for parliamentarians' removal.

The action follows the Supreme Court's ruling on April 29, which found no grounds to invalidate the disputed anti-defection provisions included in the Constitution in 2024 that allow political parties to remove parliamentarians.

The action follows the Supreme Court's ruling on April 29 that there was no reason to invalidate the controversial anti-defection provisions included in the Constitution in 2024 that allow political parties to remove lawmakers.

Nazim currently faces the possibility of losing his Parliament position if he either resigns from, is dismissed from, or is expelled from the PNC.

The no-confidence motion follows Nazim's removal on April 21 from the Public Accounts Committee and the Security Services Committee (241 Committee) – the most influential committees in the legislative assembly.

The official website of the Parliament indicates that Nazim was substituted in the important committees by other lawmakers from the PNC. Nonetheless, the alterations were not disclosed at the Parliament as is customary, and the governing party provided no rationale for the choice.

Nazim had played a significant role in the two committees from which he was removed, spearheading important investigations, including the one concerning the corruption claims against the Police Cooperative Society (POLCO).

Modifications to committee memberships by parties frequently stem from political motivations.

A significant alteration occurred when Central Hithadhoo MP Ahmed Azaan Marzooq was removed from the Public Accounts Committee and the Security Services Committee in March 2025 following substantial disagreements with the government that led him to breach three-line whips from the PNC’s parliamentary group. He was reinstated to the committees five months later, in August 2025