Within just a few weeks in office, Nelson Mandela Bay's new Mayor Gary van Niekerk has already evaded an attempt to topple him off the metro's top seat.

A motion of no confidence was filed against the mayor on Tuesday.

The notice was filed by two opposition parties, the UDM and the Defenders of the People (DOP), calling for the removal of the mayor for failing to disclose his party's name change to the city manager after it was confirmed last month.

According to the notice filed by Tukela Zumani of the DOP, Van Niekerk had received confirmation on 28 May from the IEC that the Northern Alliance's name had been successfully changed to the National Alliance.

"In what one can assume to have been an attempt to outmanoeuvre his detractors within his political party, Van Niekerk withheld this information from the council, the accounting officer (city manager Noxolo Nqwazi), and the residents of the city until 19 June."

Zumani added that during this period, the council was also deliberately misled by Van Niekerk.

He said the mayor could have corrected the misrepresentation of his party in two council meetings but instead chose to use his party's name change to fight in-party politics.

It was only on Monday that Van Niekerk announced his party's name change from the Northern Alliance to the National Alliance.

This, he said, nullified a congress held by his rivals in the party on Saturday, who elected new leaders under the Northern Alliance banner.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday Van Niekerk said the no-confidence motion would be declared null and void.

"I received calls from DOP's national and provincial structures who informed me that Zumani was an expelled member of the party and therefore had no mandate to file such a motion," said Van Niekerk.

The party has since written to NMBM council speaker Eugene Johnson to declare the motion null and void.

The party said Zumani is currently challenging his expulsion from the party at the Gqeberha High Court.