In a dramatic escalation of its internal crisis, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday expelled the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, along with former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, and former National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu.
The decision was reached at the party’s highly anticipated national convention held in Ibadan.
The motion for their expulsion was moved by Chief Olabode George, former National Vice Chairman (South), and seconded by Hon. Samaila Burga, Chairman of the PDP in Bauchi State.
The Wike-led faction had earlier attempted to stop the convention through a court order, but the party secured a favourable judgement from an Oyo State High Court, allowing the exercise to proceed.
In the days leading up to the convention, tension escalated as Mao Ohuabunwa, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Wike faction, dismissed the gathering as illegal and insisted it would not be recognised by law.
“Ibadan is a public place; people may go there for anything, but not for a convention,” Ohuabunwa had warned, describing the exercise as a ‘jamboree’.
“We have agreed to obey all court decisions on the Ibadan convention, and we are not part of it.”
The faction’s Acting National Chairman, Abdulrahman Muhammad, also urged delegates across the country to shun the Ibadan convention and await what he called “the right time” for a legitimate gathering. He assured members that mobilisation was ongoing in all 36 states and the FCT for a more united PDP.
Meanwhile, Minister Wike commended members loyal to his camp for standing firm in defence of the party in their various states, insisting that his faction would continue to uphold the rule of law.
“I will continue to support you. I won’t betray those who believe in the constitution of the party,” Wike said.
The expulsion marks a major turning point in the PDP’s long-running leadership crisis, deepening the rift between the mainstream party and the Wike-led faction.
