Four days after the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expelled the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike; a former Ekiti State governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose; and some other leaders over anti-party activities, the faction loyal to the minister has also announced the expulsion of Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State.
The party’s factional National Executive Committee, which is loyal to Wike, on Tuesday, also ratified the expulsion of a former Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Adolphus Wabara; a former National Deputy Chairman, Chief Olabode George; and the National Chairman, Alhaji Kabiru Turaki, who was elected at the national convention held last weekend.
Last Friday, the Makinde faction, which conducted a national convention in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, also expelled the party’s National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu; National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria; and Imo State Chairman, Hon. Austin Nwachukwu.
Also expelled by the Makinde faction were Hon. Umar Bature, Mohammed Abdulrahman; Chairman of the Wike’s BoT, Senator Mao Ohabunwa; Hon. Austine Nwachukwu, Abraham Amah, George Turner and Chief Dan Orbih.
The Wike faction had moved to stop last week’s convention through the court, but the party secured judgement at a high court in Ibadan to make the convention hold.
Wike had earlier commended members of the party for defending PDP in their respective areas.
He insisted that his camp would always uphold the rule of law and would not succumb to intimidation.
The minister pledged not to betray those that believe in the constitution of the party.
’I am happy with your concern about the party in your respective areas, I will continue to support you people, I won’t betray you people’, he said.
The controversial national convention held triggered Tuesday’s heated confrontation between both camps at the party’s national secretariat in Wadata Plaza, Abuja, where the two factions had scheduled parallel meetings of the National Executive Committee (NEC)) and BoT.
At its meeting held at the national secretariat in Abuja, the Wike-led NEC also dissolved the state executive councils in Oyo, Bauchi, Zamfara, Yobe, Lagos, and Ekiti States, directing the constitution of caretaker committees and the conduct of fresh congresses.
A communiqué read by Anyanwu, stated: ‘NEC received the report of the Acting National Chairman, Hon. Abdulrahman Mohammed, detailing breaches of Articles 58(1) and 59(1), including anti-party activities, disobedience to court orders, and conduct bringing the party into disrepute.
‘NEC approved the commencement of disciplinary procedures against the following: Adolphus Wabara, Olabode George, Ben N. Obi, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, Bala Mohammed, Oluseyi Makinde, Dauda Lawal, Taofiq Arapaja, Setonji Koshoedo, Okechukwu Obiechina Daniel, Woyengikuro Daniel, Mohammed Kadade Suleiman, Emmanuel Ogidi, Sumaila Adamu Burga, Umar Sani, Udom Emmanuel, and Emmanuel Enorden’.
However, a member of the party’s BoT, Alhaji Fasiu Bakene has assured its members that all rifts in the party will soon be resolved.
In a statement in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Tuesday, Bakene, a former member of the state House of Assembly, said that despite the gale of defections, the PDP would come out strong in 2027.
According to him, internal crises are not peculiar to the PDP. He said he was optimistic that the party could resolve any internal conflict amicably.
He said: ‘With the emergence of the new National Chairman, all rifts shall soon be resolved, notwithstanding the gale of defections’.
He also said that the expulsion of Wike, Fayose, and Anyanwu, at the national convention was long overdue.
He stated: ‘It’s long overdue. Their utterances, actions, and constant breach of the PDP constitution over the years ought to have been checked. They have demonstrated their skill to kill the same party that made them somebody in the political space.
‘They enjoyed demarketing the party. Their expulsion will definitely restore discipline and advance the party. The level of their impunity has contributed to a loss of interest and doubt about any progress within the party.
‘Rather than for them to honourably defect to the party of their choice, they prefer claiming to belong to the PDP, yet they shamelessly campaign for the success of another party’.
